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The Pedalshift Project 110: Fine tuning the Olympic Peninsula bike tour plus another beginner series installment

The Pedalshift Project 110: Fine tuning the Olympic Peninsula bike tour plus another beginner series installment

The Olympic Peninsula bike tour by Brompton shapes up with some snags to share with you all, complete with happy ending solutions. Plus, the second installment of the Pedalshift Beginners Series with James from NY, focusing on route planning and handling people who think you’re nuts for bike touring in the first place!

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The Pedalshift Project 107: Cross country adventures and working while on bike tour

Annalisa van den Burgh has crossed the country by bicycle twice and has started a new project called Work From Bike. We chat about working while on bike tour, her touring adventures, touring with Type 1 Diabetes and much more.
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bike touring harpers ferry

The Pedalshift Project 106: Bicycle touring beginners

Are you brand new to bicycle touring or like seeing things through the eyes of a first-timer? You’re in luck! On this episode, we kick off the Pedalshift bicycle touring beginners series, following James from NYC on his journey to his first bicycle tour. Plus a backlog of connections featuring great stories from your bike tours!
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The Pedalshift Project 101: The Pedalshift Holiday Spectacular 2017

It’s the end of the year and that means it’s time for the Pedalshift Holiday Spectacular! Join Shifty the Elf, new friends and Tim for a showcase of the best of Pedalshift in 2017!

pedalshift holiday spectacular 2017Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 101: The Pedalshift Holiday Spectacular 2017 (mp3)

Subscribe to The Pedalshift Project:
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Reach out to the show via emailFacebookTwitter 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.

The Pedalshift Holiday Spectacular 2017

The Pedalshift Project 065: The Pedalshift Holiday Spectacular 2016Special thanks to obscure British author Charles Dickens for inspiring this year’s show!

 Dramatis Personae

  • TIM MOONEY, host of The Pedalshift Project
  • SHIFTY THE ELF, senior podcast producer
  • RATCHET THE ELF, podcast producer
  • SURLEY THE ELF, ghost and former partner of Shifty.
  • JASMINE REECE, ghost of Pedalshift past (episodes 069 + 097)
  • GUTHRIE STRAW, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 071)
  • KIMBERLY WILSON, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 073)
  • JEREMY MENDELSON, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 077)
  • FRANK MORITZ, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 079)
  • ROB KNAPP, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 081)
  • MARK VAN RAAM, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 090)
  • BROCK DITTUS, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 093)
  • CAT CAPERELLO, ghost of Pedalshift past (episode 100)

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. I got news for ya. New. Sunfields. Album. Is. Out.  I’ve heard it. It’s top notch. Go get it.

Support the Show: Join Pedalshift Society

Pedalshift Tour Journals

The Pedalshift Project 100: Bicycle touring past, present and future

We gather together some great bicycle touring minds for the 100th edition of The Pedalshift Project! On this edition, it’s a roundtable talking about bicycle touring stories, and even touch on the future of bicycle touring.  Read more

The Pedalshift Project 090: A Southern Tier Bicycle Tour

Friend of the show and Pedalshift Society member Mark van Raam checked one off the bucket list this year… a cross country ride on the southern tier bicycle tour route across the US. From deserts, to mountains, to encounters in the deep south, this was a trip of a lifetime! On this episode of the pod, we chat with Mark and get his thoughts on the adventure, what it was like being in an organized tour, and what might be next.

The Pedalshift Project 090: A Southern Tier Bicycle TourHey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 090: A Southern Tier Bicycle Tour (mp3)

Subscribe to The Pedalshift Project:
RSSiTunes – Overcast – Android

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, 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.

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol.8: Western Penn

 

Available now at Pedalshift Plus!

Hey I’m riding the Pacific Coast again!

I’m planning on an October tour from Newport, OR to San Francisco, revisiting a section of the 2014 full coast ride and one I just adore. Looking forward to sharing more details with you in a future pod!

The Journal: A Southern Tier bicycle tour with Mark van Raam

  • What was the drive behind biking across country? Did you choose the southern tier for a specific reason?
  • You rode with a unique sounding tour leader… how did you get acquainted with Bubba?
  • Your buddy Robb came along too. How important was it to have someone you knew ride with you from the start?
  • You’re a fellow Novara Safari rider (let’s pour one out for this discontinued beauty!). How did it perform and would you recommend it for an organized tour where you ride less loaded than self-supported or would you have rather ridden a lighter bike?
  • With nearly three weeks in one state… did Texas ever feel like it was going to end? I hear it’s big.
  • You met some interesting people on the trip… astronauts, friends of Ray Charles… who was the one that stood out to you and why?
  • What was the most challenging time on tour?
  • We love each and every state in this fine country. But you had to have had a favorite one and one that wasn’t your favorite on this route… tell us each one and why.
  • How long did it take to readjust to coming home afterwards?
  • You’ve mentioned this is a one and done thing. What smaller routes are catching your eye for next tour?
  • Marks’s tour was organized by Bubba’s Pampered Pedalers

A Southern Tier Bicycle Tour

Connections

Velo Cetera in Oz

Hi from Australia! Thanks heaps for your podcast, it’s my listening staple on my commute to and from work each week. Thought I’d share a video of my 9yo daughter’s first overnight bicycle trip here in Australia. She’s also a big fan of The Pedalshift Project – we listened to 7 hours worth of episodes last weekend on our road trip to and from the start point of our ride! 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️👍

More connections are rolling in and I have some super cool ones to share in a future pod!

Pedalshift Society

Help support the show and join the Pedalshift Society with monthly or one-shot contributions!
Ethan Georgi
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxy Arning
Nathan Poulton
Harry Hugel
Ferguson Meek
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Ruth DeVorsey
Michelle Miller
Matthew Lewis
Michael Baker
Billy Crafton
Paul Culbertson
Scott Culbertson
Matt Perry
Danielle Jepson

And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. I got news for ya. New. Sunfields. Album. SEPTEMBER 15th. I’ve heard it. It’s top notch.

eastern express route

The Pedalshift Project 079: The new Eastern Express Route alternative to the Trans Am

Planning for a June tour… someplace… I stumbled upon a brand new tour option: the Eastern Express Route is an alternative eastern spur for the Trans Am route, starting in DC. It includes the C&O, the GAP and Katy trails and we chat with the person who did the heavy lifting (and cue sheet creation!) for this amazing new option.

The Pedalshift Project 079: The new Eastern Express Route alternative to the Trans AmHey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 079: The Eastern Express – a new Trans Am bike touring alternative route (mp3)

Subscribe to The Pedalshift Project:
RSSiTunes – Overcast – Android

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, 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.

Followup

Hey, the C&O Guide has *lots* more in it now!
  • Segmented into about 10 mile chunks
  • Adding descriptions over the rest of the spring
  • Embedded maps
  • Embedded campsite video reviews
  • More to come!

The Journal

  • West coast touring options for June?
  • Vancouver Island
  • Multimodal Oregon/Washington tour
  • Brompton or no?
  • Eastern Express as another option? C&O->GAP-> and beyond. Hooks up with the Katy eventually. Hmmm…
Reached out to the originator to get him on the show!

The Interview: The Eastern Express Route with Frank Mortiz

Frank Moritz, originator of the Eastern Express RouteFrank Moritz, is a veteran Adventure Cycling tour leader, instructor and board member, and completed the initial research to create an “eastern express route” addition to the legendary TransAmerica bike route. This new route provides a welcome option for TransAm cyclists to bypass the severe mountain climbs and nasty dogs that confront cyclists in southwestern Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southern Missouri on the eastern half of the existing route. It also replaces three major high-altitude climbs in Colorado with one gradual and scenic climb to the Continental Divide. Amazingly, almost 600 of the 2,100+ miles of this route are on dedicated bike/pedestrian paths, towpaths, or rail-trails.

Questions

  • Your background in bike touring, including your work with ACA
  • Your thoughts on the Trans Am route as it currently is routed in the east
  • It’s one thing to develop an alternate route, but quite another to do ALL of the great work with cue sheets etc. for the Eastern Express… what motivated this?
  • What is the plan for the route – it feels like this is a “public beta” and you’ll be doing some refinements after comments this year.
  • What can Pedalshift listeners do to help with this process?
  • Any other recommendations that might be different from “the usual” routes out there in the US?
You can learn more about Frank and the Eastern Express Route at easternexpressroute.com.

Connections

Where are you listening?
I hope you are well! I listened to a podcast where you where curious about from which countries your listeners are from. Well, I’m from Sweden (Stockholm) and I really enjoy listening to you. Keep up the good work!  – Paula in Stockholm
Data!
Perhaps not too surprising… most of you are in the United States. All 50 states listen (even Wyoming – someone has to be last, but you’re beautiful and windy Cowboy State listeners!) and the top states are:
  • Oregon (wonder why?)
  • California
  • New York (Empire State!)
  • Illinois (biggest surprise?)
  • Texas (everything’s bigger)
International
  • UK (about 25% the US DLs)
  • Canada (about 7% – c’mon Canada!)
  • Australia (4%)
  • Sweden (1.4%)
  • Ireland (my people! 1.3%)
  • New Zealand
  • Germany
  • China
  • Netherlands
  • Japan
Also hear from members of the US military who listened while stationed in Afghanistan and elsewhere… hey, if this dopey little show about riding bikes helped pass the time while you were serving, trust me when I say it is literally the least I can do.
Thank you all for listening! If you’re listening from exotic spot (well and exotic spot for me) drop a line or leave a note in the comments! Bonus points for calling the Pedalshift voicemail!!

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxy Arning
Nathan Poulton
Dereck Waggoner
Harry Hugel
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for 79 fine episodes. I got news for ya. New. Sunfields. Album. This August.

2017 Pacific Coast bike tour

The Pedalshift Project 075: Previewing a spring tour of the C&O plus how to handle bridge outages for your 2017 Pacific Coast bike tour

Springtime tours are kicking into gear (bike humor). On this episode I preview my C&O bicycle tour with Belle Starr, the bike touring pug, plus how to handle 2017 Pacific Coast bike tour disappointment and work around that bridge outage in Big Sur. Plus connections!

The Pedalshift Project 075: Previewing a spring tour of the C&O plus how to deal with bridge detours for 2017 Pacific Coast bike touringHey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 075: Previewing a spring tour of the C&O plus how to deal with bridge detours for 2017 Pacific Coast bike touring (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, 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 pedalshiftproject@gmail.com or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal: C&O and 2017 Pacific Coast bike tour

Preview: A spring through tour of the C&O with Belle Starr the touring pug

  • Bike to Union Station
  • Train
  • Ride direct to YMCA (rain likely)
  • Camp at YMCA under the shelter to minimize wet gear
  • Rain should end overnight and be dry for the remainder of the ride
  • It’s going to be chilly each night, but manageable
  • Probably not going to do a tour journal for this one but will do some recording for one of the upcoming episodes
  • Going to be doing more writing up of the new Pedalshift Guide to Bicycling the C&O, which now has a featured spot over at pedalshift.net! Breaking the towpath up into 10 mile segments so you can read up on things ahead of any tour.

2017 Pacific Coast tour route closure: “dude.”

From the ACA:
(Feb 2017) TRAVEL ADVISORY AND DETOUR: There are multiple closures on SR 1 due to mudslides and the failure of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge just north of Big Sur (on map 47) and south to Ragged Point (on map 49). It is unknown when then bridge will be replaced. Due to a lack of nearby roads, an extensive detour is required. The Salinas Valley Detour is 147.9 mi. and can be found at this RideWithGPS link: ridewithgps.com/routes/19189649 It is about 30 miles longer than the Pacific Coast route. It begins on map 46 in Marina and ends on map 50 south of Cambria. Services are limited for the 60 miles between King City and Paso Robles. Note that the roads around Lake Nacimiento can carry heavy traffic including pickup trucks pulling boat trailers. Also, because this detour travels inland, the weather will be significantly different than that on the coast. It will typically be drier and up to 20 degrees hotter.

To follow the status of the SR 1 closure, check Caltrans Current Highway Conditions at www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi For more information, see also The Big Sur Blog at www.thebigsurblog.com and their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BigSurInformation/?fref=ts and our Forum discussion at forums.adventurecycling.org/index.php?topic=14377.0

  • Inland route looks like craaaaaap. Sorry, it does.
  • Curious how this impacts bike touring numbers on the coast this year? Less overall?
  • More from Canada to SF? Less south of Big Sur?
  • My recs for handling this if you’ve planned a Pacific Coast tour this year
  • It’s going to be there again. Do not despair. The bridge will return and so will you.
  • I strongly recommend Vancouver or Victoria to SF at minimum.
  • A full coast ride may still be possible with a fast forward:
  • One-way car rental from Monterey to someplace south of Big Sur (SLO?) uising inland roads (101, etc.)
    • Amtrak isn’t super helpful here unless you bail on a lot of the ride south of SF.
    • Transit doesn’t appear to be an option (Line 22 for Monterey-Salinas Transit goes to Big Sur, but the bridge being out kills that).
    • Wouldn;t be surprised if some enterprising types do some shuttles for hire, but havent heard anything.
  • TL;DR – this sucks. There are ways to continue on, but they are far from ideal. Vancouver to SF is plenty awesome.
  • ADDENDUM TO THE SHOW: The bridge is super not there, so nevermind with stealth crossings!! Not that you should have done it anyways you reckless malcontents! 😉

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings. Five bucks, two bucks or even 1 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, and you can do it for a bit and cancel anytime. One-shot support is welcome if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society. And society members please go to pedalshift.net/stickers and let me know where to send some Pedalshift stickers to you! On to the Society!

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxanna Arning
Nathan Poulton
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ latest release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And a little birdy tells me Jason’s recording some new music. More when I know…