We’re in the home stretch! The Trans-Superior Cycling Tour is  just 10 days away and we are checking off our final tasks in preparation for our trip.

We made a costly but necessary trip to the bike shop to get our bicycles tuned up and replace worn parts. It’s amazing how all those training miles can add up and cause wear and tear. I only bought my bike in February, but I have logged 2,500 miles on it already! While we were there, we found some additional gear we needed. Can you hear it? Ka-ching, ka-ching. A new foot pump, a traveling pump, repair supplies and a new pair of biking shorts all came home with us. I also invested in a rear-view mirror for my helmet. I find I just can’t look behind me without swerving into the road. So that expense was in the name of safety. I hope it works.

We have made our initial transport arrangements. True confessions, we are starting in Superior not Duluth. That saves us the tedious extra miles required to travel over the Bong Bridge and get back to our route. So our friends will ferry us and our bikes over to the Bong Museum and provide us with a proper send off. They have to be very good friends, as we requested a 6:15am pick-up.

True to form, I have a detailed packing list. I can’t go anywhere without a list. Space is very limited, so at this stage I’m more likely to strike items than add more. But I shouldn’t forget anything – assuming I do a final check on that list before concluding my packing.

Rich has created a 59 page PDF file with detailed maps of our route. It is annotated with daily mile markers courtesy of gmaps-pedometer, and he has drilled in to capture detail where we need to take turns. The idea is that we can review it before each day’s ride, and if we’re really in need, we will stop and pull up a copy already stored on an iPad.

Now it’s just a matter of time.  10 days to go, and it’s so hard to wait.