Candisc

[kjay]

Am I ever happy to hear from you, r900! I was beginning to think I'd never hear from anyone about Candisc. I have talked with the mechanic at Val's Cyclery, and he was very helpful, plus I've also called the other shops you mentioned, but no rentals. I am now leaning toward buying a road bike, and might as well if I plan to go on longer rides. Having grown up in No Dak, you'd think I'd remember that it can get hot/cold quickly, but it was so long ago that I have forgotten. I would plan to stay in motels, as I've never camped in my life, nor have I biked over 40 miles in one day. LOL I like to keep pushing myself, though. I've read that this is one of the best supported bike events in the U.S., so I was a bit surprised at your comment, "Rest stops are usually placed about every 20 miles but take that with a grain of salt." But you should know, as you've ridden this several times. I imagine it's safe for a gal to ride alone because of all the support along the way? Thank you so much for responding to my posting. I really appreciate it.

[r900]

Hey, NoDak,welcome aboard! I think you'll have a good time rolling through the state.You'll do fine once you get some mileage under your belt.If you can build your mileage up to 60-70 miles in a day, the week of touring will be fun.There are riders of all ages and abilities so I doubt that you will riding solo.This could be a good year to do a century ride if you have never done one before. This is a well supported ride but some of us like to break camp kinda early just to see the sun rise so sometimes the reststops aren't set up yet. I carry 2 larger water bottles and a camelback so I can go about 60-70 miles without stopping so reststops aren't a big deal for me. You'll miss out on some cameriderie by not camping with the rest of us.You better check for motel rooms soon. The cyclists will double or tripple the population for the day in some of the towns.It is a good time being a tourist!Make sure your bike clothing and gear is broken in and good fitting i.e. shoes,socks, shorts, jerseys , helmet,gloves, bike saddle,pedals,ect.If you're comfortable on your bike,then there is no bad day on a bike.Don't let me forget, there is a traveling masseuse that sets up every day.Crickett is tops for sports therapy. Get a registration form and talk to **** Messerly for any extra info. I can't remember if I ride to eat or if I eat to ride !

[kjay]

r900, you have been sooooo helpful and I can't thank you enough. This means a lot to talk with someone who has actually ridden this ride. I better get my new bike soon so that I can break it in. I find myself really wanting to ride this tour and will call Messerly (actually, I'm not sure he's even there anymore because I keep getting another name on the message recorder) to find out if I can possibly ride the SAG if I absolutely need to. Again, thank you a bunch!

[Kathi]

We're planning on signing up for Candisc, however. we're waiting to make sure I'm back on the bike by then. I'm recovering from ACL surgery.

I agree, camping is more fun, you get to know the group better. One year I did TRIRI by myself and had no problems.

I sort of panicked when I saw the topo map until I realized that there wasn't much difference in elevation.

I'm orginally from Cincinnati and have toured in the east and midwest so this will be my first tour west of Wisconsin.

[kjay]

Great to hear from you regarding Candisc, Kathi. I imagine camping would be fun, but by myself I'm not so sure. I can't imagine having to go outdoors to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I imagine all sorts of things, like forgetting where to go, forgetting where my tent is located on return from the bathroom, stumbling into someone else's tent, etc. I've browsed a number of sites looking for tents and sleeping bags, but to pay all that for a one-time camping outing doesn't sound like the right thing to do for me. But it sure does sound like fun and would definitely be an adventure for me. Good luck with the healing from your surgery. Thankfully, August is a ways away.

[r900]

Hi Kathi and Kjay, I think you'll enjoy candisc. The first few days will be light rolling plains. The long day from Strausberg to Bismarck will be a little more agressive since we'll riding the Missouri breaks. It's quite pretty riding into Bismarck from the south, going along the high buttes and coasting into town at a nice 45mph descent. The sag wagon is a winnebago pulling a bike trailer, nobody gets left behind.The days route gets scoured for any biker that needs a lift. The candisc route changes from year to year, and this is a fairly mild route, but don't count out the winds.Enjoy!

[Kathi]

Good news,

My os has ok'd me to start easy riding around the neighborhood, so we're signing up for Candisc this weekend.

Kjay, I did a tour by myself and camped. I had not camped by myself so I imagined all kinds of scary things. Usually the grounds are lite well enough that walking around at night isn't a problem and I was tired enough that I didn't lay awake worrying about the creatures of the night coming out of the woods to get me.

The only drawback to camping is rain. Packing a wet tent is no fun.

On some of the tours I've been on that stay on school grounds the gyms are open for anyone wanting to sleep inside. Not very private but close to the bathrooms.