Did just shy of 70 miles yesterday with my riding partner: mid-Mercer-county to Belmar and back. He's miserable in the cold (and mornings are getting cool here), so we left at 10am (he wanted to leave later, but that would have gotten us back too late). I think it was more than either of us were ready to do - my legs are still tired. Still, I'm obviously in better shape than I thought I was.
The Tiagra triple crankset still makes noise in many of the gear combinations. I have not been able to adjust for the noise, and still make the shifting work. Hrrmph.
Nonetheless, good ride. We sat for about fifteen minutes in Belmar, and looked at the post-Labor-Day crowd. Lots of people getting the last flings in before the weather turns; lots of swimsuits; a few people who should never wear swimsuits in public. It's not just about fat (although, trust me, there was a lot of that; this is, after all, America). With some people, ugly attitudes seem to color the very air around them. That said, though, the traffic on the waterfront road was very polite: there are many pedestrians and bicycles, and the drivers just go slowly and watch (at least, that's what we saw). Once you get back inland a few blocks, and join the non-beach traffic, the regular ride-like-they-hate-you-because-many-of-them-do traffic rules apply. One of the things I didn't count on, but which makes sense in retrospect, is that the last few miles to the shore will have, in general, a downhill-to-the-water direction - which means uphill on the way back. Ooof.
Back home, we're finalizing the Hawaii trip. My wife seems to be more relaxed now that many of the details are being tied down, but I'm still treading tenderly.
No comments:
Post a Comment