Vicky and I took a short training ride down to La Jolla with all of our gear last weekend. It’s been a couple of months since we put everything on the bikes, and we’ve made a few new acquisitions since then (REI loves us). With our packing list mostly complete (more on that later), we wanted to see how much weight we’re carrying, and what we’re still missing.

By the time we got everything packed up and made a few modifications to the bikes (had to install new lights and mirrors), it was a little late for a long ride. All right, I’ll admit it–we were also feeling a little lazy after celebrating our friends’ wedding the friday before. Still, we managed to fit in a couple of good hill climbs, going over Torrey Pines and then down to La Jolla Shores. I was very curious to see how the bike would feel going up hills, since our previous training rides to San Clemente and Dana Point were relatively flat.

The answer is: HEAVY. My total weight (bike + equipment) was 85 pounds, while Vicky was at 75. Oh, it was definitely doable on a single day 30 mile ride, but we’re both carrying a lot for 10 straight weeks of riding. I’m hoping we’ll be able to shed some pounds when we go through our final packing list in a few days…

My new bike mirror--I haven't figured out exactly where I want to position it yet.

Vicky going up Torrey Pines. It doesn't look steep in the picture, but it sure felt like it about halfway up...

On the way home going back up La Jolla Shores Drive (STEEP!), Vicky was hanging tough with a very loaded bike.