Tomorrow, I will begin my trek down the coast. If all goes as planned, my friend and I will make it to Santa Monica in four days. It is possible (even likely), though, that the trip will take five days. If we were to try four days, we’d need to average over about 110 miles each day. We’d be riding almost every hour of daylight to do that, so I think that five days may be a little more realistic.

I have my Powerbars, my spare tubes, and just enough infusion sets and pump supplies to make it through the trip. I’m trying to keep the backpack light, but I am bringing a fresh pair of socks for each day of the trip. Socks are one item I simply can’t skimp on.

Thank you to everyone for the advice for my trip. I wish I could have a support car follow us, but we both want to ride and we do not have any friends in the area that would be willing to serve that role. We both think that we are ironmen, and we both want to make the full trip.

Almost every person that I’ve talked to this last week – from family members to coworkers – has told me how dangerous it is. I heard a story of a rider who broke his collar bone, one who was intentionally hit by a passing car, and one who was caught off guard by a passing truck and tumbled into the ditch. After all of these horror stories, I am reminded of how intense this ride will be. I hope the drivers on the Pacific Coast Highway are friendly to us…

Hoodia gordonii (pronounced HOO-dee-ah) is also called hoodia, xhooba, khoba, Ghaap, hoodia cactus, and South African desert cactus. Hoodia is a cactus that’s causing a stir for its ability to suppress appetite and promote weight loss. 60 Minutes, ABC, and the BBC have all done stories on hoodia.

Hoodia gordonii can be found in the semi-deserts of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Hoodia grows in clumps of green upright stems and is actually a succulent, not a cactus.

It takes about 5 years before hoodia’s pale purple flowers appear and the cactus can be harvested. Although there are 20 types of hoodia, only the hoodia gordonii variety is believed to contain the natural appetite suppressant.

Although hoodia was “discovered” relatively recently, the San Bushmen of the Kalahari desert have been eating it for a very long time. The Bushmen, who live off the land, would cut off part of the hoodia stem and eat it to ward off hunger and thirst during nomadic hunting trips. They also used hoodia for severe abdominal cramps, hemorrhoids, tuberculosis, indigestion, hypertension and diabetes.

In 1937, a Dutch anthropologist studying the San Bushmen noted that they used hoodia to suppress appetite. But it wasn’t until 1963 when scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa’s national laboratory, began studying hoodia. Initial results were promising — lab animals lost weight after taking hoodia.

The South African scientists, working with a British company named Phytopharm, isolated the active ingredient in hoodia, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57. After getting a patent in 1995, they licensed p57 to Phytopharm. Phytopharm has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research.

How does Hoodia Gordonii Plus work?
Simply put, the brain is tricked into thinking there is enough energy (blood sugar) and doesn’t need to eat, so it shuts down the hunger mechanism.

How long does Hoodia Gordonii Plus
take to work?
The consensus is that hoodia can take up to 1 to 2 weeks to kick in, however, many people notice the appetite suppressing effects within 1/2 hour of taking a dose of hoodia.

How to take Hoodia Gordonii Plus?
An hour before meals With a glass of water. Ensure adequate water intake, because hoodia will also shut off your thirst mechanism.

Side effects of Hoodia Gordonii Plus?
There are no published reports of any side effects after use of hoodia.

University of Texas study finds diet soda linked to obesity

Diet soda, previously thought to be the health conscious alternative to regular soda, may be linked to obesity later in life. A study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio followed over 600 people ranging from 25 to 64 years old for up to eight years and found that those drinking diet soda gained more weight than their regular soda drinking counterparts.

I know it sounds crazy, but I have decided to venture down the Pacific Coast on a ride from San Francisco in two weeks. Fortunately, my boss is supporting the ride and has allowed me to take a week off to do it.

Our plan is to start just South of SF. If things go well, we will be biking over 100 miles a day. The goal is to get down to LA in four days.

I have been biking as often as I can, but it’s hard to know how ready I am. My commute to and from work is about 20 miles round trip. On the weekends, I have been biking about 50 miles at least one of the two days. To date, however, I have never gone 100 in a day.

Does anyone have suggestions for “touring”? We are going to sleep in hotels/motels, and I hope to keep my supplies to a minimum. I am going to bring the appropriate bicycle repair equipment in addition to my insulin pump supplies. Without a doubt, I am bringing my camera. I think a little bit of food and drink might be nice, too.

Any suggestions for preparation, for the ride itself, or for endurance athletics and diabetes would be greatly appreciated.