Freewheelers who are riding with me on the Tour de Franklin: the metric century riders are expected to leave the start at 7:30 am. I'll leave a space for the inevitable moans of dismay:
However, prompt departure is expected; SAG services will not be available late in the day, and food is served within a limited time frame.
You can click here for the info page. Start is at the Franklin Township Senior & Community Center; the link goes to a map at a slightly different address, but the address they give is 475 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ.
As I noted in the announcement, I expect to lead the group at a "B" pace. Everyone will be able to get cue sheets, and the routes are marked, so if we're not moving at a speed that suits you, you can break off (or if the bad jokes degenerate into the completely insufferable, and you HAVE to leave...).
I expect to be at the start by 7:00 am. Look for my battered black Prius, or for people whom you recognize.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
next crankset
Not that they ever die, but if my current crankset ever dies... I'm going with one of these. Fluted and polished, and available as a compact, in different lengths, for not a lot of money. IRD Defiant. Lovely.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
chocolate bunny ride
Laura OLPH's already posted about yesterday's Chocolate Bunny Ride; I just wanted to add a few things: the route, of course (Laura changed a part of the traditional route that puts us on Amwell Road along a section with poor shoulders and lots of traffic; many thanks... and RideWithGps now lets me correct my elevations, so this one should be closer than past elevations), and the few pics I got before my camera batteries went out (I thought I loaded the ones I'd recharged...)
Aren't these excellent tights on Chris?
And wouldn't he be a lot of fun if he'd just loosen up a little?
And Ron, of course:
And one more thing. That anxiety problem has been moving in again; the previous day I had a particularly bad experience. Riding, in general, is good for managing it, and group rides with people I know and like are more effective than solo rides. This ride was particularly good for what I needed. I'd like to thank Laura for leading, and all of those who came along, but I'd particularly like to thank Eoghan B. He probably has no way of knowing, but the jokes and chatter with him in particular acted like a tonic. He left the ride to go straight home before I could tell him so yesterday, so I'm taking the opportunity to do so here.
Aren't these excellent tights on Chris?
And wouldn't he be a lot of fun if he'd just loosen up a little?
And Ron, of course:
And one more thing. That anxiety problem has been moving in again; the previous day I had a particularly bad experience. Riding, in general, is good for managing it, and group rides with people I know and like are more effective than solo rides. This ride was particularly good for what I needed. I'd like to thank Laura for leading, and all of those who came along, but I'd particularly like to thank Eoghan B. He probably has no way of knowing, but the jokes and chatter with him in particular acted like a tonic. He left the ride to go straight home before I could tell him so yesterday, so I'm taking the opportunity to do so here.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
no D ride 4/20
Sorry; I had to move the D ride to LAST week. I didn't know that 4/20 was Easter when I set the ride, and I have a conflict.
The next D ride will be 5/10, and will probably be the canal towpath ride I wanted to do this time. Watch this space!
The next D ride will be 5/10, and will probably be the canal towpath ride I wanted to do this time. Watch this space!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
best-laid plans ride
Well, it was SUPPOSED to be a canal-towpath ride... but when we got to New Brunswick, there were roads closed everywhere, and the closer we got to Johnson Park, the worse it got. We couldn't get to Grove 5 at all; the best we could do was park at Grove 4.
It turned out that today was the day of the UNITE half-marathon (d-mn runners!). We wouldn't be able to get to the entrance to the canal towpath until after noon. What to do?
What to do, after thinking about it for a minute, was to head up to Piscataway on the roads. We wound up doing about 14 miles around Piscataway and the Rutgers campus (and, because I'm lost all the time, I got a lot of input from the local kids - yes, they're mostly kids; students at the Bloustein School), and then we made our way to Highland Park to PJ's for coffee.
From there, a short hop back to the park. The Excellent Wife (TEW), who was along for the ride, wanted a few extra miles, so we got onto the towpath (open, by this time), where we ran into Zach and a few others who had started from the other side of the ride. And then back home.
Next D ride will be the weekend of Rutgers graduation, so I'll probably avoid New Brunswick completely. And maybe after that, we'll try the towpath again.
A few pictures:
Edit: I understand some riders got to Grove 5, and were waiting for us there. I apologize for the missed communication and confusion.
It turned out that today was the day of the UNITE half-marathon (d-mn runners!). We wouldn't be able to get to the entrance to the canal towpath until after noon. What to do?
What to do, after thinking about it for a minute, was to head up to Piscataway on the roads. We wound up doing about 14 miles around Piscataway and the Rutgers campus (and, because I'm lost all the time, I got a lot of input from the local kids - yes, they're mostly kids; students at the Bloustein School), and then we made our way to Highland Park to PJ's for coffee.
From there, a short hop back to the park. The Excellent Wife (TEW), who was along for the ride, wanted a few extra miles, so we got onto the towpath (open, by this time), where we ran into Zach and a few others who had started from the other side of the ride. And then back home.
Next D ride will be the weekend of Rutgers graduation, so I'll probably avoid New Brunswick completely. And maybe after that, we'll try the towpath again.
A few pictures:
Edit: I understand some riders got to Grove 5, and were waiting for us there. I apologize for the missed communication and confusion.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
quicker ride with snakehead ed
Most of my regular riding companions were probably off doing Tom H's unofficial didn't-make-it-in-the-list ride... but that was gonna start way down in Burlington County, and Snakehead Ed was leading a ride right out of Piscataway, and new leaders need support, and Ed's ride was likely to be faster and hillier, and I'm doin' a D ride tomorrow (so I can use the workout today)...
So I headed for Ed's start location. He starts at the historical village parking in Johnson Park, and I've had little success finding a toilet there (all my parts are as old as I am, which will be 59 early next month, and a toilet near a ride start is no unnecessary luxury). As I was passing Grove 5, I saw that there were porta-potties, so I stopped in one, and as I was attending to my inner muse, I heard the THUNK of the door of the next. When I emerged, there was Eoghan B's Rivendell, and when HE emerged, we had a few words about the excellent new Sackville Bag on the new pannier rack.
I was wearing my Justice jersey, and we had a quick discussion about why it didn't say "Liberty", and whether it should say "Mercy," (I opined that mercy is not an American virtue), and as we were settling these and other matters, Rick and Ed came in. As we expected no others, off we went.
We'd gotten down to the canal, when up from behind comes Alexei (I have no idea how to spell his name, so I may spell it differently each time I list it). He said he saw us and decided to catch up, but I wouldn't put it past him to have purposely gotten a late start just so he could show us up by catching up; he's that strong and fast.
My Garmin is having issues regarding elevation, so here's the route on RideWithGPS, and this link is on MapMyRide. (I'll be grateful if you let me know which, if either, you think is more reliable.) We did Dutchtown-Zion on the way out. The unpaved section was dry and gravelly today, and we can not do that again, thank you; it was terrifying, not least because I got a lesson on why not to use the rear brake on a gravelly downhill (Eoghan was most elucidating afterwards; thanks). We stopped at the Main St Cafe, where I ate too much junk, and where Aleksey told us about a bad crash on Ed P's ride last week. Then four of us took off to head back up Canal Road (Eoghan was close enough to home that he left us).
We went up Old Georgetown/down Coppermine on the way back (Coppermine is repaved, so I can go down in slightly less terror [I'm not a great descender; Rick suggested I not go as fast as Ed, and when I caught up to him at one point going down Coppermine, I decided to re-think my priorities]). Then back through Colonial Park, and a circuitous route that Rick knows that gets us back near the river crossing without going on 514 (I can get lost in a bathroom, and Rick just whips through this; it reminded me of Han Solo going through the asteroid field, and that's what I call that area now). He went off home, and Ed and I made it back to my car; I was the only one who drove in.
On being lost, though: I've now done this route enough that I can get from Johnson Park to the bottom of Dutchtown Zion without getting lost. For me, that's an accomplishment!
Pics (not many):
So I headed for Ed's start location. He starts at the historical village parking in Johnson Park, and I've had little success finding a toilet there (all my parts are as old as I am, which will be 59 early next month, and a toilet near a ride start is no unnecessary luxury). As I was passing Grove 5, I saw that there were porta-potties, so I stopped in one, and as I was attending to my inner muse, I heard the THUNK of the door of the next. When I emerged, there was Eoghan B's Rivendell, and when HE emerged, we had a few words about the excellent new Sackville Bag on the new pannier rack.
I was wearing my Justice jersey, and we had a quick discussion about why it didn't say "Liberty", and whether it should say "Mercy," (I opined that mercy is not an American virtue), and as we were settling these and other matters, Rick and Ed came in. As we expected no others, off we went.
We'd gotten down to the canal, when up from behind comes Alexei (I have no idea how to spell his name, so I may spell it differently each time I list it). He said he saw us and decided to catch up, but I wouldn't put it past him to have purposely gotten a late start just so he could show us up by catching up; he's that strong and fast.
My Garmin is having issues regarding elevation, so here's the route on RideWithGPS, and this link is on MapMyRide. (I'll be grateful if you let me know which, if either, you think is more reliable.) We did Dutchtown-Zion on the way out. The unpaved section was dry and gravelly today, and we can not do that again, thank you; it was terrifying, not least because I got a lesson on why not to use the rear brake on a gravelly downhill (Eoghan was most elucidating afterwards; thanks). We stopped at the Main St Cafe, where I ate too much junk, and where Aleksey told us about a bad crash on Ed P's ride last week. Then four of us took off to head back up Canal Road (Eoghan was close enough to home that he left us).
We went up Old Georgetown/down Coppermine on the way back (Coppermine is repaved, so I can go down in slightly less terror [I'm not a great descender; Rick suggested I not go as fast as Ed, and when I caught up to him at one point going down Coppermine, I decided to re-think my priorities]). Then back through Colonial Park, and a circuitous route that Rick knows that gets us back near the river crossing without going on 514 (I can get lost in a bathroom, and Rick just whips through this; it reminded me of Han Solo going through the asteroid field, and that's what I call that area now). He went off home, and Ed and I made it back to my car; I was the only one who drove in.
On being lost, though: I've now done this route enough that I can get from Johnson Park to the bottom of Dutchtown Zion without getting lost. For me, that's an accomplishment!
Pics (not many):
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
d ride - changes
Hey, all. Due to a series of missed communications, I'm moving my D ride from 4/20 (did I know that was Easter?) to 4/13, and the time to 10:00 am. We'll start at Grove 5* of Johnson Park in Piscataway, and travel the canal tow path to Bound Brook and back.
So get out your wide-tired hybrids and mountain bikes for this easy trip of about 14 miles.Helmets required, of course.
This ride is co-sponsored by the Princeton Freewheelers and the New Brunswick Bike Exchange. No attitudes, lots of stops, nobody dropped, and I'll try to keep it down to three lectures: the obligatory safety lecture, my rant about mirrors, and a plug for the Bike Exchange.
*If you can't find parking at Grove 5, park at Grove 4 or the historic village and meet us at Grove 5.
So get out your wide-tired hybrids and mountain bikes for this easy trip of about 14 miles.Helmets required, of course.
This ride is co-sponsored by the Princeton Freewheelers and the New Brunswick Bike Exchange. No attitudes, lots of stops, nobody dropped, and I'll try to keep it down to three lectures: the obligatory safety lecture, my rant about mirrors, and a plug for the Bike Exchange.
*If you can't find parking at Grove 5, park at Grove 4 or the historic village and meet us at Grove 5.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
laura olph leads a recovery ride
Laura OLPH's blog post for today's ride said:
One of those who joined us was Peter H, astride his bike after hip surgery. He left before 15 miles (he had anther commitment), but it was good to see him nonetheless. I noted that Ed C, aka "Snakehead", was chatting with Peter; I know they've ridden together in the past.
Despite the climb numbers, I found much of the ride surprisingly flat, given the area we were going through. It was a pretty day (started cold, though). You should have come out; you would have liked it.
Pictures - early porta-potty break:
Along the road:
At the Oldwick General Store:
Back on the road:
Wait... is East Mountain Road... CLOSED?!
Hrmph. Just some dirt road. Hardly worth worrying about.
Because so many of us will have been on the road on Saturday, I'm going to tone it down on Sunday.It must have been enough of an invitation; eight others, besides Laura and I, came out to do this ride. She came with two routes, and this one, to the Oldwick General Store, was chosen randomly. Whether toned down or not, we wound up with 4900 feet of climb over the 55 miles... but none of the ascents were awful, and only a few were "annoying" (I hear about "annoying ascents" more and more frequently; I'm beginning to suspect that term has a specific meaning of which I'm not aware).
Really. There won't be as much climbing. We will go 50-55 miles, though. I can hear you razzing me already.
One of those who joined us was Peter H, astride his bike after hip surgery. He left before 15 miles (he had anther commitment), but it was good to see him nonetheless. I noted that Ed C, aka "Snakehead", was chatting with Peter; I know they've ridden together in the past.
Despite the climb numbers, I found much of the ride surprisingly flat, given the area we were going through. It was a pretty day (started cold, though). You should have come out; you would have liked it.
Pictures - early porta-potty break:
Along the road:
At the Oldwick General Store:
Back on the road:
Wait... is East Mountain Road... CLOSED?!
Hrmph. Just some dirt road. Hardly worth worrying about.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
saddle smitten
Long-time readers may remember the high hopes I had for the Selle An-Atomica saddle, and my attempts to salvage it. I took it off when I found the last two Specialized Bg-2 saddles in the universe, but I've been smitten by another saddle.
Selle Anatomica was started by a rider, Tom Milton, who subsequently died. His family has been keeping up the company, but the saddles have a number of problems: they sag, they can splay (causing thigh pain; don't ask how I know this), they can squeak (don't ask how I know that, either). There's a new company making saddles that seem to be improvements on the original design: Rivet Cycles. It was started by Debra Banks, a randonneuse, described as "former partner of the man who created Selle Anatomica Saddles".
The saddles are stiffer than the Selle Anatomica saddles, and are improved in other ways, including an assembly underneath to eliminate the splaying.
Finish appears to be better than the Anatomicas, too, and the reviews I've seen are all positive. And they offer a one-year guarantee.
I may need to get one.
Selle Anatomica was started by a rider, Tom Milton, who subsequently died. His family has been keeping up the company, but the saddles have a number of problems: they sag, they can splay (causing thigh pain; don't ask how I know this), they can squeak (don't ask how I know that, either). There's a new company making saddles that seem to be improvements on the original design: Rivet Cycles. It was started by Debra Banks, a randonneuse, described as "former partner of the man who created Selle Anatomica Saddles".
The saddles are stiffer than the Selle Anatomica saddles, and are improved in other ways, including an assembly underneath to eliminate the splaying.
Finish appears to be better than the Anatomicas, too, and the reviews I've seen are all positive. And they offer a one-year guarantee.
I may need to get one.
windy quartet with snakehead ed
For some reason, Tom H's rides for this week and next didn't make it into the ride guide. Laura OLPH elected to go with him, and made an announcement of his ride for today on her blog, so I suppose many of my regular riding friends went with them... but "Snakehead" Ed C planned to lead a ride out of Piscataway this morning. Ed's a new leader (and new leaders always need support), and his ride would likely be a little faster and more demanding than Tom's, so I elected to go with Ed.
I didn't know if anybody else would come along, but when I got to the start (Ed lists coordinates that you can plug into Google to find the start location), there was Peter F, relieved that he was in the right place and that a familiar face would be coming along (I persuaded him that he ought to put tights over his shorts; I think he was grateful later). The other person who came was Rick, who had come on the last ride Ed led. (The toilets at this starting point aren't open yet; I snuck through a fence to use a porta-potty in a construction area... it was a foreshadowing of things to come.)
We did this route. We started right off into a wicked headwind, that was with us almost all the way out, and on several parts of the return. Ed had said he was leading us up Dutchtown-Zion, and I was afraid the wind would make that worse than it would be anyway, but luckily, the surrounding trees apparently kept the wind down around there. That last quarter-mile still hasn't been paved, and the recent rains made it muddy; one of my post-ride chores today was cleaning (what seemed like a few pounds of) mud off the bike.
Edit 1: Ed reminded me that along Grouser Road, we saw a herd of about ten deer, who outran us handily on our left, and then crossed ahead of us. I don't remember hearing them complain about the headwind.
Edit 2: And then, just as we were heading down into Hopewell, we came upon the estimable Paul I heading up the other way! Good to see him, and I need to ride with him again soon, too.
On to the Boro Bean in Hopewell. I like this stop; the staff puts up with our silly appearance and treats us with an endearing lack of deference, and the coffee and junk is good (although I should have eaten more; more later). We had a discussion about going back up into the Sourlands to do more hills, or to go more-or-less straight back.
And while we opted for the more-or-less straight-back route, Ed decided to add on more hill, so we went up Fairview, and down Grandview (Rick said he thought we went up Fairview just because Ed wanted to go down Grandview; people who know Snakehead Ed know he loves his descents). We took a roundabout route back to Piscataway, including going over Weston Canal in Manville...
... which was closed. Now, Laura OLPH has the Hill Slug Waders Club, where she promises to buy a coffee for any rider who has to cross a bridge out on any five Slug rides. Ed doesn't have such a club, but if he did, this ride would have counted; you'll see us crossing on an aluminum walkway in the pictures below. (I think we should also get half-a-point for the quarter-mile of Dutchtown-Zion that's not paved... but I digress.)
By that time, I was done; I was tired and hungry, and the last several miles of this ride were an ordeal for me (thank heaven for a mostly-tailwind). I need to eat more before and during a ride that will be this demanding. I hope I wasn't rude to the others, or riding dangerously; I know I was much slower in the last few miles than I had been at any time after the break. Still, great ride; I'll be happy to go out with Ed again.
Pics! At Six Mile Run, where we stopped for an early toilet break:
At the top of Dutchtown-Zion:
At the Boro Bean:
Bridge out. Wait, what?
Cyclocross!
I didn't know if anybody else would come along, but when I got to the start (Ed lists coordinates that you can plug into Google to find the start location), there was Peter F, relieved that he was in the right place and that a familiar face would be coming along (I persuaded him that he ought to put tights over his shorts; I think he was grateful later). The other person who came was Rick, who had come on the last ride Ed led. (The toilets at this starting point aren't open yet; I snuck through a fence to use a porta-potty in a construction area... it was a foreshadowing of things to come.)
We did this route. We started right off into a wicked headwind, that was with us almost all the way out, and on several parts of the return. Ed had said he was leading us up Dutchtown-Zion, and I was afraid the wind would make that worse than it would be anyway, but luckily, the surrounding trees apparently kept the wind down around there. That last quarter-mile still hasn't been paved, and the recent rains made it muddy; one of my post-ride chores today was cleaning (what seemed like a few pounds of) mud off the bike.
Edit 1: Ed reminded me that along Grouser Road, we saw a herd of about ten deer, who outran us handily on our left, and then crossed ahead of us. I don't remember hearing them complain about the headwind.
Edit 2: And then, just as we were heading down into Hopewell, we came upon the estimable Paul I heading up the other way! Good to see him, and I need to ride with him again soon, too.
On to the Boro Bean in Hopewell. I like this stop; the staff puts up with our silly appearance and treats us with an endearing lack of deference, and the coffee and junk is good (although I should have eaten more; more later). We had a discussion about going back up into the Sourlands to do more hills, or to go more-or-less straight back.
And while we opted for the more-or-less straight-back route, Ed decided to add on more hill, so we went up Fairview, and down Grandview (Rick said he thought we went up Fairview just because Ed wanted to go down Grandview; people who know Snakehead Ed know he loves his descents). We took a roundabout route back to Piscataway, including going over Weston Canal in Manville...
... which was closed. Now, Laura OLPH has the Hill Slug Waders Club, where she promises to buy a coffee for any rider who has to cross a bridge out on any five Slug rides. Ed doesn't have such a club, but if he did, this ride would have counted; you'll see us crossing on an aluminum walkway in the pictures below. (I think we should also get half-a-point for the quarter-mile of Dutchtown-Zion that's not paved... but I digress.)
By that time, I was done; I was tired and hungry, and the last several miles of this ride were an ordeal for me (thank heaven for a mostly-tailwind). I need to eat more before and during a ride that will be this demanding. I hope I wasn't rude to the others, or riding dangerously; I know I was much slower in the last few miles than I had been at any time after the break. Still, great ride; I'll be happy to go out with Ed again.
Pics! At Six Mile Run, where we stopped for an early toilet break:
At the top of Dutchtown-Zion:
At the Boro Bean:
Bridge out. Wait, what?
Cyclocross!
Friday, April 4, 2014
that guy in the back
Sometimes I feel like that guy in the back is following me around all the time.
Sometimes, I feel like I am that guy in the back.
From today's Oddman (of course).
Sometimes, I feel like I am that guy in the back.
From today's Oddman (of course).
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
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