I’m pretty sure that I can hike. We’ll soon find out if I can bike. I know already that there are some similarities and some obvious differences.
Hiking I can easily manage 2.5 – 3 miles every hour. Biking I think I will be able to cover 5 times that mileage per hour. Both of those activities require you to put in time. In an 8 hour day of hiking, I’ll make 20 miles. 8 hours on a bike (if that is physically possible) should get me 100 miles. One of my goals is to do at least 1 100-mile day.
The logistics are quite similar. I learned to not plan very far ahead when hiking. I just figured out how long it would take me to get to the next town (usually 3-4 days on the Appalachian Trail) and pack enough food to get me there. On the bike, I will go through many towns on a daily basis so I won’t carry much more with me than trail mix and beef jerky. Stuff I can eat on the go.
My tent and sleeping bag have been with me for 3,000 miles of hiking and they are coming along on the bike. I’ll stay in some low budget motels, will be able to stop at a few houses of friends, and sleep in my tent the rest of the time. I will guarantee you that I will not spend 36 hours in my tent during a torrential rain like I did on the AT.
It will be difficult to consume as many calories as I will burn. I think 4,000 calories is what I’ll use daily. That’s about the same as hiking. You can really eat whatever you want. Junk food is highly encouraged!
As for differences, my butt doesn’t get sore hiking! My toes were numb for the entire AT and a couple months after. Lots of pounding. I have a feeling my fingers will be numb on this ride. There is alot of your weight that is distributed to your hands and your butt.
I got the crap beat out of me through falls on the AT. Cracked my elbow, dislocated a finger, and more cuts and scrapes than you can imagine. I don’t anticipate as many incidents like that on the bike but if I do, it probably won’t be good!
I realize that I’ll be riding on roads and that there is an element of danger there not found on the AT. I appreciate everyone’s concerns for my safety. Trust me, I will do everything I can do to minimize that. I’ve got a high end helmet, brightly colored jerseys, high visibility panniers (saddle bags), and a flashing red light. Can’t do much more than that.
One final similarity. You can raise money for charities while you ride, too! Go to the pledge page on my website https://at-pete.com/pledge-information/ You’ll find a couple of new ways to contribute. We’ve already raised more that $2,000 including 171 beers in the Buy Just Pete a Bud program. That’s $684 going to the charities I’m biking for.
Thanks so much for your continuous support of my adventures.
Ride on.
Just Pete
Just Pete Hiking 
Good luck Pete..be safe
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Wishing you all the best-will save some Budweiser for you when you get home jpg
On Thu, Jun 10, 2021 at 11:05 AM Just Pete Hiking wrote:
> jpetesd posted: ” I’m pretty sure that I can hike. We’ll soon find out if > I can bike. I know already that there are some similarities and some > obvious differences. Hiking I can easily manage 2.5 – 3 miles every hour. > Biking I think I will be able to cover 5 times th” >
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Pete,
Good luck on the ride – be careful with all that traffic!! Let us know if you will need a detour through Wisconsin for a tenderloin or brat. We will be tracking you!!!
Jake
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keep on pedaling!! beer is on ice
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I like your thought process and found it very interesting, but I think you are overly optimistic in your ability to bike 100 miles/ day. Guaranteed, after one day of riding 100 miles, you will be very sore. If you are able to accomplish this, I will realize that at one point in my life ,I lived on the same street as the bionic man. A few tips that might help. 1). wear 2 pair of very padded bike pants instead of one. 2). use vaseline on any areas that might rub a lot 3) they make bicycle seats with a hole in the middle for greater comfort. You should be able to find one at any bike store. 4) an electric bike might be a great idea for this type of ride. You can use the electric backup just as an assist, not all the time. I am assuming that you have your iPhone on a secure holder attached to your handlebars. Use google maps and plan your daily trip and evaporates your final destination. This will hopefully keep you from getting too far off the beaten path. If you have music downloaded on your phone, music helps with motivation and cadence when you get tired. I love riding to music! Keep this in mind. Long distance cycling is an International sport. First you are a Russian, then European, then you are a Finnish. Hope you make it to the finish! Good Luck. Please ride with the traffic. Very important! The junk food sounds wonderful, but power bars during the ride are great for energy. Drink lots of water or and/or power aide along the ride. You loose more water than you realize because it evaporates quickly when you are riding. I assume you have a good odometer and speedometer attached to your bike and you can see your average mph at the end of the day. There is an app. called Strava that you can link into and anyone can follow you as you progress on your trip. You can also compare your progress to anyone else using Strava. It is a wonderful app. We use it to keep track of John’s rides in England and he also can see whenever we get on our bikes and do our little 20 mile ride. People can also comment and encourage you if they have the app. Makes the ride more interesting and fun. One more thought; Always wear sunglasses while riding. Pebbles, dirt, bugs etc will ruin your ride. If a dog starts to chase you, growl really loudly and throw your water bottle at him, or peddle at the speed of lightening. Works every time!
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Hey Pete, best of luck on this trip! Looking forward to your blog!! Xoxo
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Have fun and be safe. Don and Nancy
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Good luck Pete! I think this is a bit on the edge of crazy and insane, but I know you are determined and have done all you can do to make sure that you are safe and successful. Tom
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When biking imagine a marshmallow between your hand and the handle grips and ride without squeezing the marshmallow by using your core muscles to support your upper body. Good luck, Snygue
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Bust it big my brother!
Tailwinds in your future!
Cheers!
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Good to have you among the biking.
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