hazing ritual

After completion of her first colonoscopy (which found nothing, so she's not due back for another ten years), The Excellent Wife (TEW) said that she figures that a colonoscopy is the hazing ritual for joining AARP.

I predict great things for her on the Geritol-and-Metamucil comedy circuit.

tour de franklin ride report

Today was the Tour de Franklin, one of the fundraising events for the Franklin Food Bank. They offer several routes, including four road routes of lengths from 10-62 miles, and rides on the canal tow path of many lengths, with SAG support and lunch afterwards. I collected a team of eight via email, but others decided to come, and when we departed this morning, we had seventeen, of whom I can remember these: besides me, John & Jane D, Gary & Donna W, Dave C and Little Joe from Pennsylvania, Dave H, May L, Lynne W, Jack H, Laura OLPH, Gary S, Ron S, The Other Marc, and Sal F, with whom I had not ridden before, but who found me through an old blog post and who is strong. With that many riders, we got a bit of a late start... but it's not a race, and I think we had a good time.

Another issue with that many riders is the variety of abilities. But despite the fact that I'm sure we were spread out over more than a mile at one point, we all met up at several points during the ride, and we all wound up finishing together (more or less).

The route (that's a link) is, as far as I can see, almost entirely within the Township of Franklin. The first part leads down to that long, appendix-like mapping to the south of the route; we left the start at the Municipal Building, and went down to the Main St Café in Kingston, near which was the first rest stop. Ron had a "mechanical" with his chain there, and several of our number shed layers and left them at John & Jane's house, which is remarkably close. From there, after a pause (getting seventeen Freewheelers organized takes a bit of doing), back up and across the Griggstown Causeway, where Ron S got a cut in his tire that needed to be booted (c'mon, Ron - give someone else a chance!). From there, we went back mostly without mishap except for having to wait for stragglers.

(A couple of times John D and I got on the front. We're a good match: about the same pace and ability, I think, and we don't get too competitive... but we can't do that for too long, or the pace creeps up. And up.)

I'm most grateful for the folks who came along: about the only way a person like me, who gets lost if the wind shifts, can lead a ride this long is by going on a ride like this one. I had a great time (it was a glorious day), as, I think, did the others.

(That said, I remind folks about my "D" ride on May 19 - I'll guarantee it's the lowest-pressure ride in the schedule. Got somebody who's thinking of testing the waters on a group ride? Send 'em along! Or bring 'em... I guarantee you'll be able to keep up.)

bike club spring fling: rolling chaos

The Princeton Freewheelers' Spring Fling, held usually the last Saturday of April, is when the club honors its ride leaders. There are "all paces" rides (for most levels of riders) followed by a buffet lunch. It's a great opportunity to see people we rarely see, because they ride at different paces or go to different rides.  Lots of people come out, and the rides can get huge.

But because the rides get to be so big, and because we're riding with people who don't usually ride together, the rides at the Spring Fling can be a little hard to control, as the ride I went on today was. I looked for a group that was getting big that would need a sweep, and found one that wound up with 21 riders to start. One left within about five or six miles of the start, another shortly before the break... and we lost two more at about the break, and I don't know how we lost them, or what happened. (I feel a bit like Telly on Sesame Street: "Oh, dear....".)

The Spring Fling starts at the Masonic Temple in Rocky Hill; it's one of the few starting points I can ride to from home, so I always do; this route includes my pre- and post-ride ride (yeah, I know it would be shorter if I just whipped down Route 1... but naaah). And I see that the average was 15.8, but I know my average on the ride home was about 17.2, so you can do the arithmetic to see the average on the group ride.

Besides me, there was a fellow I've ridden with at least once, Brandon, who also swept, and Bob who offered to do so. Brandon got to see my frustration with riders who will not get to the right when the call of "Car BACK!" goes up, and other dangerous riding habits some riders have. (There was a collision between two riders today; nobody seriously hurt [luckily] but it's another kind of thing that happens with people who seldom ride together. With groups who ride together often, a few newbies don't disturb the rhythm much, and generally pick up the group norms quickly, but I don't think that happens on the all-paces rides.) Another frustration was the route: although there was a cue sheet, the roads on the sheet didn't seem to have any relationship to the roads on which we were riding, or the cross roads we encountered. I'm no better at picking routes... but I choose not to lead rides, partly for that reason.

Then back for lunch, with lot of food (thanks, Ira!), and time to sit and chat with people we haven't seen.  Mike H was flogging his new book, and some club goodies were for sale.  I'll admit I snuck out before the awarding of the jerseys to the ride leaders.

Wore too much today: although it was cool when I left, three layers and tights were way too much. I don' know what I'll do about Tour de Franklin tomorrow... although by the time I actually post this, the effects of whatever decision I may have made will probably already be with me.

tour de franklin again

Just wanted to bump this to the top of the blog. Tour de Franklin Sunday 4/28 (so don't wear yourselves out at the Princeton Freewheelers Spring Fling on Saturday!).

Metric century leaves at 7:30; I expect to be there at about 7:00; look for the black Prius, or find me. Start location 475 Demott Lane, Somerset, NJ, map linked here. Try to find me early, especially if you weren't on the initial email (I'll send another today or tomorrow). I've got seven on the email list, and know of at least three others.

In past years, they've had goody bags and lunch, but they don't have food for restricted diets. Also, food at rest stops is unpredictable; some years it's better than others; you might want to carry snacks.

They're asking for, but not requiring, extra donations (the target is $100), but, frankly, one of the attractions of this ride for me is the low cast; if the additional donations become required, I won't do the ride in future years.

But that's not this year. I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

younger americans driving less

Why aren't younger Americans driving anymore? (Links to article at Washington Post; opens in new tab, of course.)

From the article:

What’s happening? High gasoline prices are one obvious factor. The price at the pump has been lurching upward since 2005 and appears to be forcing people off the road... But that’s probably not the whole story. The correlation isn’t perfect, for one. And vehicle miles driven have continued to drop since 2011, even though retail gas prices have remained relatively stable (though still at a historically high level). The aging of the Baby Boom generation is a second big factor here. Americans over the age of 55 tend to drive less, so the fact that the United States is aging overall makes a difference. But another huge part of the story is that young Americans are driving much, much less. Between 2001 and 2009, the average yearly number of miles driven by 16- to 34-year-olds dropped a staggering 23 percent.

I've recently begun to think that the answers to our enviro woes won't be in simple conscience-based reductions, but in technological solutions and socio-cultural changes. Here's another thing that makes me oddly hopeful.

tour de franklin 4/28

This Sunday is the Tour de Franklin. Anybody on my team, or who wants to ride with us, should look for us at the start. I'll be wearing one of my signature solid-color jerseys, and you should also look for my black Prius in the lot.

The metric Century starts at 7:30; I expect to be at the ride about 7:00 am.  Last year, there was a bit of a mutiny over the early start time, but the organizers want everybody in for lunch at noon. Start location is the Community/Senior Building, 475 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873 (between New Brunswick and Amwell Roads).

I have a list of the people who formally signed up, and I know of three others (at least) who are planning to come... but there may be others who either didn't tell me, or who forgot. Please find us at the start.

This will be a Freewheelers ride, with a sign in sheet, and subject to the club rules (including helmet and water bottle).

Although Laura OLPH's experience may suggest otherwise, this was a good ride (as how many of them are not?). She and I did a bit of a pre-ride from Plainsboro to Cranbury, then went along on Peter F's ride down to Allentown, to my new favorite rest stop.

(For those of you who still don't know how clueless I am when it comes to directions: when we visited Stonebridge Bagels last month, we came in from the west, and I had no idea where I was. Today, we came in from the east, passing by the entrance to the Byron Johnson Park where the Old Guys leave from on Wednesdays, and passing Bruno's Bikes. Yesterday, I had no idea where it was; today, I could find it from anywhere. D'OH!)

We went the long way 'round to get to Allentown, and the short way back (this route; it's on RideWithGPS, because Garmin is down as I write this). Laura was wondering if we were really going to Allentown, because the stop was about 2/3 the way into the ride, but we came straight back from Allentown (Peter and Gary went off on a route that led them away from the traffic in the middle of Hightstown, and didn't get the message when the rest of us went straight on; sorry for the missed communication...). On the way back, Laura hit a pothole hard enough that it not only flattened her rear tire, but broke the clip that held on her saddlebag. We fixed the tire, and strapped up the saddlebag with a mini-bungee she carries, but the Kermit figure that she attached to the saddlebag had a rough ride home.

(And if you go to her blog through the "may suggest otherwise" link above, I assure you that nothing she says about me can be relied on. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.)

early-season ride to belmar with tom h

Tom H's post about this ride, earlier this week, said that he would make a decision by 9pm Friday about whether the weather would force a reschedule of his ride to Belmar from today until tomorrow, but he changed the original post, so that by the time I checked it (at some ridiculous hour this morning), it said:

We got some rain overnight but that is over now. The roads are wet but are starting to dry so the ride is on. Its going to be a little messy riding on the wet roads but it should be a fun ride. It will give us a chance to see how the rebuilding of the boardwalk is going and how our favorite beach front hang out fared.

So we gathered at Etra for the 9:00 9:05 departure time (some of us were less-than-diligent about promptness). Thirteen of us went, and I'm impressed that I can actually remember: besides me and leader Tom H, there were Cheryl, Chris, Jeff X, Joe, John, Ken, Laura OLPH, Mark H, The Other Mark, Mary, and Mike.

Normally we go to Belmar later in the season, and the beach was empty except for a few surfers. Some of the streets are still closed after Sandy, and one of the places we frequently stop had just reopened (the adjacent Dunkin Donuts was closed, and looked like it was going to stay that way). Tom and Laura got some pictures of the reconstruction, to which I may link when I see 'em (Jeff X said he thought it was outside my artistic integrity not to get my own pictures, but I don't think he understands just how little effort I intend to put into this). The boardwalk is just being put together. Many of the toilets and service buildings on the beach side are gone; some are being rebuilt... and there are also signs of construction on the houses: new windows (with the tags still on), permits, and so on.

Wind was at our back much of the way there, and we had a pretty high speed (one said 15.6mph) when we stopped in Belmar. That wind, however, was a nemesis on the way back - someone (was it Tom?) quipped that it was like 30 miles of uphill all the way. (Mike missed it; he arranged for his wife to pick him up in Belmar and drive him home from there.)

It kind of is uphill all the way back; there is an overall downslope between inland and the shore, and there were no real hills, although there were enough grades for some of our number to justify both slowing down and complaining. We did this route. That, of course, includes a brief warm-up prior to the actual departure.

Laura said it wasn't a real Tom ride because we weren't making up songs about how much we hated him or how he was mistreating us. He did rip across Route 9 without stopping, but the light was with us. I think he might be sorry that we aren't slandering him, but the truth is that this was not that demanding of a ride.

Three stops: one at a benighted bagel place (with about four stale bagels and a half a Mr. Coffee pot of coffee), then at Belmar, then at a Dunkin Donuts about eight-ten miles from the end. At that point, John, Mary, and the two Marks decided to go on without stopping. So of the thirteen that left, we ended with eight - in that, it was like  Hill Slugs ride!

I hope to do another ride later in the season when the beach is more open and populated. I'm hoping to see how Belmar has rebuilt, and is successful after Sandy.

never ask about pregnant

It's been a while since I posted and linked to a comic. This one caught me today:

I love that comic. I remember a time that I only verified a female coworker was pregnant by hearing that she had heard the baby - and then she was incensed that I thought she could have gotten that fat on her own! Hrmph.

Too small? See the original here.

al p leads a dennis-backwards ride

Today was one of those Wednesdays off that I get, and I did the ride with the Old Guys. Dennis W, the purported leader, set the time for 9:30, so I wanted to be in Etra at 8:40 for the ride-to-the-ride that Erich leads. He's had hip problems, so I wasn't sure he was going to be there, but he was, along with Mary and John B. I almost didn't make it in time; I didn't leave enough time for rush-hour traffic.

But I did get there, and off we rode down to Allentown to the start point. Al P, who leads these rides when Dennis won't or can't (and, as it's been cold, that means that if the ride goes, it's Al P who generally leads it recently), sent an email this morning (too late for me to get) with the simple word "Yes" about the ride today.

It started cold, and I was wishing for full-finger gloves for the first half-hour or so... but it warmed up later, and I was cursing the three layers I had on top. It's hard to dress for the weather in April; perhaps we need a chase car to carry our cast-offs. (Any volunteers?)

We did this route. Many roads I didn't remember at all, and some I did, but only in the other direction (Al admitted he was doing a non-Dennis ride). We stopped at a stop in Columbus, where I had coffee (and should have had some food, but didn't; I was cursing that decision at the end of the ride. Still, my weight's creeping up again; I gotta start bein' careful).

Erich had a flat, has he has had a few recently. They have not been punctures; today's was a pinch flat, and another had been due to a bad valve. I wonder if Erich has gotten a batch of bad tubes, and if simply buying a different brand of tube, or at a different store, might not fix things... but he seems to think a new pump is in order.

In the last few miles, I saw a distinctive bandanna on the road;it turne out to be Al L's, with the distinctive cannabis-leaf print. Al is the last person I woudl expect to carry such a bandanna, so I knew it was his, and I picked it up and returned it to him at Allentown.

After we got to Allentown, for the ride back to Etra, we were joined by Vern H and Bruce. The six of us headed up Old York Road, and I could see that Vern and Bruce were ready to pull out... but I could also see that others were falling back, and could use a pull into the headwind; I resisted the urge to ride off with Vern and Bruce (after all, ya dance with them as brung ya), but we did alter the route to have a little more distance together with Vern and John, who were continuing their rides back to their homes. (See? I'm not the only one who adds miles; I'm not even the worst offender.)

in response to the boston marathon bombing

When I first heard about the bombing at the Boston Marathon, the numbers were two dead and twenty-two injured; I've since heard that the number injured is larger. My thought was, "And how many people today died in car accidents? How many from alcohol? How many from poor diet and no exercise? Tobacco kills about a hundred a day; a week's worth of tobacco deaths alone will swamp this number."

But from this page at The Atlantic, I see Patton Oswalt has a better take on it than I:

I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, "Well, I've had it with humanity."

But I was wrong. I don't know what's going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.

But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."

Thank you, Mr. Oswalt.

canal, rocky hill, & millstone tour

I took an unplanned day off today, and the car went in the shop for a recall, oil change, and something-unexpected to the tune of $500+. My only consolation was this ride (see the linked route), of which I am unreasonably proud. First of all, it's a modification of a route Dave H told me about... and I did the modification myself (which, as navigationally-challenged as I am, is a milestone for me [MILESTONE! HAH! I crack myself up sometimes]), and second, I did it at an average of 17.4 for the whole ride. I was at 18.1 when I stopped at the crossing at Blackwells Mills, and decided to cruise the rest of the way. I hadn't had breakfast, and got the Pretzels of Doom at the Philly Pretzel Factory in Hopewell (3 for $3; ate one in Hopewell, one at Blackwells Mills, and the last at Colonial Park; Little Joe, if you're reading this, you're right: I find I can go better longer if I eat something).

For you folks who lead all the time, feel free to sneer at my navigation efforts; I liken it to dyslexia, in that the information is there but the synapses just don't close right - and I have every respect for folks like Laura OLPH and Peter F, who learned their navigation by going on rides and studying maps. I just don't think I'm able to do that. As for the speed, I ride fastest when I ride alone; it's both a promise I made to The Excellent Wife (TEW) and an effort to starve that competitive urge.

Later, I did an additional five miles on the bike to go pick up the car. The dealership is about two miles away driving, but I didn't want to ride on Route 1, so I did a five-mile roundabout (and I still had to ride on an on-ramp-and-off-ramp on Route 1 for a short distance). The bike clothes are just coming out of the wash now. Maybe I'll do Dennis W's Old Guys ride tomorrow if the weather holds.