bloomsbury boogie

Winter Larry (who led this ride along with Laura OLPH) described today's Bloomsbury Boogie as his favorite ride, and I might be inclined to agree. It was beautiful, long enough, with demanding (but not exhausting) ascents, whippy descents (sometimes terrifying - one rider got up to 51mph - but a little terror is not always a bad thing), a multi-mile flat, some sprints, a paceline in Pennsylvania, and (best for me) a ride along River Road in Hunterdon County above Riegelsville, my favorite road to ride in NJ - not because of hills or speed, but because it's a taste of "vacation on a bike" at 16-17 mph.

Ten started: Larry, and Laura (who co-led), Laura's friend Sean,  John D & Jane C, Ed C (photographer on the Tour de Franklin), Peter (whom I know a little), Rick, and Bob (I think; I never met either of these last two before today). We started at Mine Brook Park in Flemington (just behind the outlet malls! Everybody can find those, right?), and went right into a fairly demanding climb, then to a fairly flat bit, before we split into two groups (apparently a failure in communication, or map-reading, or something: Larry thought there would be a tough ascent on the route that Laura led; she said there was none. I went with Laura). We did have a white-knuckle descent (with traffic, and a dogleg about 2/3 the way down) into Bloomsbury and the first rest stop. After the rest stop, Bob decided he had other things to do and left us, so the nine of us continued and finished.  Climbing out of Bloomsbury (which is apparently in a bowl) was nowhere near as tough as the road in would have suggested (although Laura did suggest that she might lead the Hill Slugs up that way sometime in the future...)

Then to the Delaware and a trip down River Road (but I've already waxed rhapsodic about River Road on that ride you would have hated. I feel lucky to have gone down it twice in three months). Across the Delaware (on foot, playing hell with our average times) at Riegelsville, and down the Pennsylvania side in a paceline (traffic at our elbows - and weren't ALL the motorcycles out today!) to a second rest stop at Upper Black Eddy, where we can look at the canal on the Pennsylvania side (and can we please get going before my legs stiffen up again?), then back over a bridge to Jersey (walking again...) to cover some more hills. One of the final hills before we stopped had more than a 17% grade - Jane stopped to check (I could tell it was steep; my front wheel wanted to come up).

Back at the stop, John and Jane pulled out beers (and a bottle of water that I could take). It was a great day. I loved this ride. Thanks to you both, Larry and Laura.

Ed C and Laura got pictures. I'll steal 'em link to 'em if I get the chance.