1. If this is your first ALC ride, you'll want to get a copy of Russ Mendivil's book "The Ride: how to ride your bike from SF to LA without really dying" . It will tell you about everything to expect the week of the ride, and will validate all of the nervous feelings you are having right about now...
You can go to Russ' website for the book. http://theridestory.com/
2. Go buy an air mattress (twin size) at Target NOW-TODAY. No, not a week before the ride, but NOW. Remember there are 3,000 people registered to do the ride, which means about 2300 actually coming along. Target will be out of inexpensive air mattresses very very soon. You can get one as cheap as twenty bucks. Coleman makes a battery powered air mattress pump that takes 4 D cell batteries and that lasts all week.
If you can spend the dough, aerobed makes a camping mattress with a rechargeable pump- the charge will last all week as well.
3. Also if you can afford it, bring 7 pairs of cycling shorts. You will be too tired to wash them (by hand, in buckets!) every evening, and even if you do have the energy to wash them, there is no guarantee that they will dry fully in time. Nothing is worse than putting on a pair of cold shorts with a damp pad on a cold morning. REI has cycling shorts as low as $30, Nashbar.com and Performance Bicycles has them as low as 19.99 , and I think Mike's Bike's big sale starts tomorrow April 17, and I'm sure they've got some good deals and they also give an ALC discount!
And speaking of shorts- once you get into camp, get out of your shorts as soon as possible!! You'll have less of a chance of getting saddle sores and other yucky things down there if you don't sit around in your shorts. Lots of bacteria and sweat, etc will gather there over the course of the week, so get them shorts off when you are done cycling for the day and get "aired out" as soon as possible each day!
4. Instead of a flashlight for the dark nights, get a headlamp. Its easier to use the porta potty in the middle of the night when you have both hands free. And don't forget to look where you sit in the middle of the night... its gross yes, but I could tell you stories... bring a light! And oh- DON'T SLAM THE PORTA POTTIE DOORS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! (you'll be amazed how loud it can sound)
5. I pack an extra plastic tarp for underneath the tent. Michael (my tentmate) and I both have gnarly allergies and since the tents sit on the grass, if I can keep a layer between my bed and the grass we both generally wake up feeling less puffy and itchy. You can get the lightweight painting type tarps and they don't add a whole lot of weight to your bag. Also, binder clips or clothes pins help when you need to dry things out, you can clip them to your tent to dry.
6. Pack a shower cap (you know the ones they provide in the nicer hotels for free) or re-usable plastic bag to cover your seat overnight when it is in bike parking. Someone told me those plastic wrap "covers" for bowls that Glad Bags make work well too. -they sort of look like shower caps. It can be quite dewy some mornings, leading to a wet butt when you get on your bike in the morning...
7. Bring something for Dress in Red/Red Dress Day (Day 5 which is June 7th this year)! My first year, I did not wear Red and I never felt so out of place for a whole day in my life!! Even if it's just a red jersey/jacket because you don't do dresses, wear something RED that day, you won't regret it!
8. Make sure your suitcase/duffle/bag, whatever has wheels. Trust me, even the most experienced backpacker will hate riding 100 miles, then hauling their bag on their shoulders to find their tent space. Get a duffle bag or suitcase with WHEELS and get one big enough to hold your clothes, your sleeping bag and pad/air mattress too.
9. If you are a "good coffee-aholic", then bring your own unless you can stomach dishwater every morning. I pack a Lexan (plastic) french press and bring pre-ground Peets coffee with me each year. I really only need about 4 oz in the morning to be pleasant, so I walk around offering the rest to others. Its a nice way to make friends in the morning. Believe me, by Day 4 you will be coming to find me in the dining tent that morning....
10. Come to the Potluck Ride! It's the best way to get all your last minute questions answered, and maybe even meet your future tentmate! The last training ride of the season (in Northern Cal) will be on Memorial Day. You bring a dish to share, go for a 30 mile roundtrip ride then come back and eat! The Potluck Ride on the 28th of May will be on the Training Ride Calendar soon so look for it.
