Despite a very cold night and early morning with a 41 degree wake up call, the cycling day was a relatively easy one from a mileage standpoint. That being said, the “wheels are starting to come off” for a number of riders, who experienced some significant damage and malfunctions to their bikes today and yesterday. David from the UK had a “blow-out” with a tire, which sounded like a bomb had gone off below his feet. Fortunately, David had brought a replacement tire, however the rims on his bike are not necessarily compatible with the tire and tubes he has. He has always had difficulty in fitting his tires on his rims, which poses problems when he tries to place an inner tube inside. The tire fits so tightly on his rim that when he uses levers to reseat the tire, he can easily damage the tube, making it completely useless. Shortly after replacing his tire, he experienced another flat, and the tight fit is causing him to inflate to much lower air pressures that he normally uses. Since bike shops in this remote area are not easily accessible, they are currently debating an alternative course of action.
In addition to all of this drama, as I reported yesterday, Piet experienced some frayed shifting cables, which limited his bike to only one or two gears. They have ordered new cables, but in the meantime, he is “borrowing” a mountain bike from the mechanic, which allows him to continue cycling, on a good yet unfamiliar piece of equipment. Another rider, Josh, has experienced significant rim damage, and while he continues to ride, everyone is keeping a close eye on how things fare with him. I could go on, but suffice it to say, the wear and tear of 3,000 miles is starting to show, at least on the equipment. As for me, I have a slightly bent brake rotor, which causes my brake to rub against the front tire slightly as I am riding. Though the bike is still “rideable” and certainly does not compare with some of the serious issues described above, I now have a viable excuse for going so slow. Now, I am able to tell everyone that I’m still able to go 14 – 16 miles an hour, even with my brakes engaged. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Sorry for all of the mechanical details, but that has quickly become the top story here in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. On the bright side, I must commend the state of Florida for the condition of the shoulders of their roads, as well as their prolific bike lanes, at least in this area of the state. Everyone is VERY impressed with the road surfaces, since it allows the bikes to roll fairly easily up and down the rolling hills here in the northern part of the state. We are staying in tents at the Sunset King Lake RV “Resort” here in Defuniak Springs, which I must say, is very well equipped, and includes clean showers with warm water. (Could anyone ask for anything more???). The resort is located on King Lake, which is approximately 600 acres and reportedly is well stocked with black bass and catfish, as well as something called “shell-cracker” and “crappie”. I’ll admit that I have eaten some crappy fish in my day, so I’m hoping that this isn’t for dinner!
DeFuniak Springs, where we are for the night, is the county seat in Walton County, and has a population of about 7,000 people. The town was founded by officers of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and was named after Frederick DeFuniak, Vice President of the L&N Railroad. (And here I thought that it was some creative marketing name, designed to engage potential “maniacs” looking to find “some fun”. So much for my marketing abilities, huh?). Famous people from DeFuniak include Buck Showalter, current baseball manager for the New York Mets.
Tomorrow we have a quick turn-around, with a planned 69 mile ride designed to take us from DeFuniak Springs to Marianna, Florida. Let’s hope that the mechanical casualties are kept to a minimum! I’m sure I’ll have more to report following this ride!
The Walking Machine 