Second Stem

Here is a picture or two for those of you that were wondering how I lowered my handlebar bag and made room for all my other stuff! Well first of all, I had my main light on the front of my front rack, as well as frog lights on the drop bars. This alone cleared a bunch of real estate up front. Then I designed this second stem idea and cut down a pair of old handlebars to give myself another purchase for anything I might need to mount. I decided to mount my handlebar bag there, which lowered it into a much better position. This of course made plenty of room for my bell, and computer without mucking up the whole flight deck.

I hope that is clear enough, here are some pictures of the contraption!!


Thanks again for stopping by Ronto's Folly!

Well we made it to another year in the New Belgium world of bikes and beers!

Every year New Belgium Brewing hosts a number of extravagant get-togethers all over the country called the Tour De Fat. These annual shindigs are a celebration of the ingenuity of the bike and of course the beer, that we as non-carbon producing fanatics have adopted as our mascots and penciled in on our own coat of arms!

This year, 2008, saw the eclipse of what most thought possible with what seemed to be over 10,000 participants, all dressed up, or down depending on semantics, paying tribute to the ideology that propels people to continue to ride bikes. Bikes, by the way, were invented in France in the 1860's and have stood the test of time, and as new technologies like the internal combustion engine, and better soled shoes have come and gone, bikes still stand as the ultimate in personal transportation!

Of course New Belgium Brewing was at the head of this folly, leading the way with pride, and providing the masses with that delicious golden nectar that lubricates and loosens the soul. Along with booze came plenty of entertainment, from live music, and tasty local food, to magic tricks, knife juggling, and even a funeral for a Cadillac Escalade! There were those lucky few that didn't run flat tires, I am not one of them, those that enjoyed one too many beers and, of course a winner to the yearly giveaway of a new cruiser!

In the end, the festivities turned out to be another great day spent in the open embrace at New Belgium's beautiful home here in Fort Collins, Colorado, and as we pedal away we all get a little excited with the thought of what next years costume may look like!

Here are a few of the pictures and clips from our memorable afternoon, enjoy!!






Thanks for tuning in to Ronto's Folly, if you want more info about New Belgium or the Tour De Fat, go to www.Newbelgium.com, or just click on the title to this posting! Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!!

Capes and Inland Routes

As I promised I would be back to talk about the things that are going on now and random ideas from the trip that I wanted to revisit.

First, things on the home front have been great, I am relaxing and taking advantage of summer break. As a student again I have come to realize that the lifestyle I want is perfectly embodied by the schedule of a college professor. Lucky for me I am on the right road, anyway lets get to the point here, which is of course the torture of Capes and Inland Routes!

To start a cape is defined as a piece of land jutting into the sea or some other large body of water, which I always believed to be true until this trip. What we found was every cape we encountered turned out to be a mountain of a hill. A better definition would be massive amounts of upwardly angled land that jut so far into the ocean one would rather struggle to climb over it rather than go around it. Truth is struggling over these steep hills on an 80 pound touring bike was a touch more difficult than cruising them in ones auto. These capes ventured inland of course instead of following the seaboard which leads to the second dreadful sight on a map, the inland route.

Inland routes are the simple occurrence where the route leaves the cool temperate climate of the marine layer, and turn inland, in our case, east. As soon as you leave the coast temperatures soar and can be over 40 degrees hotter than just a few miles back, we of course were tortured by these heat waves being especially used to the ocean breeze. At one point in southern California my thermometer read 22 degrees, which is actually 122 degrees, however my thermometer was not built to travel to hell and back so there were only 2 digits, where we obviously needed 3.


The point of this thought is that in planning this trip I would have never thought of these occurrences or the pain they would lead to, and although we made it over every cape and through every hot spell the inland heat could throw at us, next time we will take the coast, no matter how short the alternative route may look on the map!

Thanks again to everyone!!

We just wanted to thank everyone who tuned in on the ride for your support and energy. We had over 2500 hits on the website in the 4 short weeks we were on the road, so thanks a ton!!

Also I wanted to thank New Belgium Brewery here in Fort Collins for setting Molly and me up with some great gear and support, as well as Spire USA for hooking up some great messenger bags and laptop protectors, and lastly Thrill Head Creations which unfortunately is no longer around, but thanks for extending your Chaco deal to us, otherwise we would not have had any shoes to ride in.

All in all the trip was amazing, and we appreciate everyone who contributed both material and energy to our cause, thanks again!!

Check out the websites of our sponsors as well, here they are:

www.newbelgium.com

www.spireusa.com

June 26th - Home Sweet home!

June 26th - Home Sweet home!

I am finally home! I got in this morning about 2:30, and was happy to see Molly and my own house. There is always a relief once you're actually home and off the road after a long trip. Although you always wish you could keep traveling, there is something nice and reassuring about that moment you step foot back into your comfortable life. Anyway I am back, I picked up the Jack dog this morning from my friends Brad and Jamie, who took care of him while I was gone, and am excited to just relax for a day or two before I get back into the swing of things. Here's me and Jack, he's so excited that I am finally home!! By the way, thank you so much Brad and Jamie for taking such great care of Jack, I know he loves to be at your house, so thanks again!!

Day 32 June 25th

Day 32 June 25^th

So today was the last day of the trip and I don’t have many pictures to share, but here’s what we did. Most of the day we helped Mel set up cameras to take 2 weeks of time lapse photos at the fairgrounds, which if they turn out will be amazing to see the difference from before to after and other than that I packed my bike, shipped it FedEx for 35 bucks, and ate dinner at Whole Foods before I had to head to the airport. As I said before, the end of the trip comes with mixed emotions, I wish I was continuing, but at the same time I am happy to be done and headed home. I guess there’s always the next trip! Anyway here is Mel and Rob on the man lift getting the second camera into place.

Thanks again to everyone for watching me and Molly on this journey, and stay tuned to Ronto’s Folly for more thoughts from the road, more pictures and videos, and of course our next folly which is always right around the corner!!

Day 31 June 24th

Day 31 June 24^th

Well there was no more riding to do so today was just a play day. Mel, Rob and I all got some errands done in the morning, and by the afternoon we were at the beach. We pulled out Rob’s kayak and surfboard and hit the waves. There is not much to say today, just a bunch of pictures, but I will say that although I am happy to have made it, it’s bittersweet that the trip is over and that tomorrow I won’t be on the bike. Anyway, here are the amazing pictures that Mel our personal photographer was able to capture!

Comments

Andrea I am back in Fort Collins, I got in about 2:3o this morning!! I hope all is well in Mantana, call me when you get a chance.

Comments

Nation, I knew the name of the team before I even left, "Team Paul!" With my new macho legs I can jump 6 feet higher so maybe you'll be setting me all summer?!

From the Road - Loners

From the Road - Loners

So the past week I have ridden in isolation, Molly left in San Francisco and I was able to keep heading south, however by myself with only my thoughts. A few years ago I lived abroad for about 10 months, half of which I was with my best friend and brother Rob, the other half I was on my own. I learned a lot about myself and what thoughts appear when you have no one else to constantly distract yourself with. Many of my friends in Spain thought of me as a loner, which I think comes with a negative connotation. I liked to be with friends, but the rest of my days I spent alone, walking the city, jogging, or reading a book in a tiny café. I am bringing all this up because I am once again alone, and although here everyone speaks English and I am running into more people that want to know about what I am doing than the past 3 weeks together, it has reminded me of those times where I was isolated. I only bring it up because I want to dispel the myth that loners are odd or deviant, which many think to be the case. Loners are simply people who can be alone, without real interaction, and still enjoy their life, and by real I don’t mean the small chat at the grocery with the cashier.

The past few years I have fed off the constant attention of those around me, living in a place with many friends and social distractions, and although that is normal and alright, I still seem to utterly enjoy this time alone. Don’t twist my words here, I loved being on this trip with Molly, I wish she was still here, and in a sense we were both alone although together, but what I am saying is there is a lot of value in finding time every day to think to yourself. Now it helps to really find these thoughts by being forced to, as well as being in an amazing place like riding your bike down the sunny coast of California, but never the less, they are thoughts that only arise once you have no one else to talk to. I think that’s what sets loners apart; they are comfortable with their thoughts, and the sounds and noises around them. I know that anyone that knows me is reading this and cannot believe my words, most would say I talk to much, or never quite talking, but there is a side here that is at home. There is a lot you learn about your life and yourself when you have nothing but time to contemplate everything that occurs in front of you. Bike touring is amazing because the scenery is always changing, but at a very slow pace. You can pass a sight, or smell, or sound and think about it, and even turn your head back to experience it all over again. These isolated experiences are unique ones in which no one else has experienced the exact same thing at that moment in time, and this allows you to see the world from your eyes and your point of view alone.

I guess the whole point of this thought is that there is a value to these moments when we are alone, and that although some would say happiness is only real when shared, we all need to know that we can find that happiness within, to share with those around us. So next time you find yourself alone, take a look around and you may notice amazing things that you have never noticed before.

Day 30 June 23rd - The Border

Day 30 June 23^rd

Stats: 21.94 Miles, 2:01 Hours, 10.8 MPH Average, 29.4 MPH Top Speed, 70’s and mix of ocean fog and sun.

So today was the last day of biking for the trip, the short ride from Mel and Rob’s house in San Diego to the Mexican border. Although the ride was only 20 miles long, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and actually a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Although I wish the trip was just starting, it’s a great feeling to be able to relax and not have to worry about the road. This trip has been so amazing, every day was filled with excitement and awe, and although our bodies were hurt and tired there was never a day that I didn’t want to climb on my bike and pedal. I cannot believe I am actually done, and I cannot wait to do it all over again sometime down the road!

Of course the day ended at Happy Hour! From left to right that's Rob, Mel, Theresa, and me!