2500!

I'm knocking on the door of 2500 miles so far this year. My total since March is 2473. Will I be able to get to 3000 by the end of the year? Stay tuned....

Ride Report, October 20, 2007

Today's ride was in glorious fall weather here in bike paradise. Temperatures were near 70 degrees, there was a low-scale breeze, and the sunshine highlighted the orange, red, yellow, and green leaves on the trees. The brown leaves on the ground made a satisfying crunch under my tires.

I wish I felt well enough to enjoy it all. I woke up feverish again - undoubtedly a side effect of my flu shot on Thursday. I skipped the group ride American Infrastructure was holding on the Schuylkill Trail and slept in. When I did get out, I found my energy and stamina were much less than I'd normally experience riding, so I cut short my ride. I was still tested by hills, despite the reduced pedaling.

The highlight of my trip was a visit to Vincent Baptist Church in Chester Springs. I had stopped to stretch and drink water, and I was invited by volunteers painting the exterior to take a walk around inside. One of the volunteers was the pastor of Vincent Baptist, Steve Hobbs. I thank Pastor Hobbs and the others I met today for allowing me to tour their church. Although I am not a Baptist, I may join them for worship on a Sunday evening in the near future. "Where two or three have gathered together...." Matthew 18:20.

Vincent Baptist, shown in the top photo (from their website), was constructed in 1812 and enlarged in 1852. The graveyard predates the present church, and it was a moving experience for me to walk among the headstones, reading the names of people slumbering nearly two centuries through what John Donne described as "one short sleep past." The church sanctuary dates to 1812, although most of the interior is more recent.

The second photo is of Pughtown Baptist, another old Baptist church in the area.

No Ride Report, October 19, 2007

No ride today. I had a flu shot yesterday, and I'm running a slight fever. I scarcely felt the fever until I started to change into riding gear, and then I said "no way" to riding.

I was planning on joining a group ride Saturday morning on the Schuylkill Trail with the American Infrastructure cycling team. We will see how I feel tomorrow morning.

Mike of the Bike Patrol

Unfortunately I haven't had much time lately to update the blog. The links section in particular could use some additions. One of them is www.studebakerroad.com, the site of our fan, and friend, Mike "The Driver." He's now Mike of the Bike Patrol, and I suggest everyone visit his site to read about his new career in security on two wheels.

Bucks County Covered Bridges Ride - Report for October 14, 2007

Little problems can ruin your day if you let them. Tim, his son Ian, and I all found this out today at the Bucks County Covered Bridges Ride.

The three of us planned on riding the metric century. Shortly before Tim was to register he discovered his cycling shoes were at home, 90 minutes away. After some prodding Tim managed to find a set of platform pedals with toe clips to use. He then left his water bottles in the car, along with his food, as we set off on the 50 mile course.

Meanwhile, I was shivering under a base layer, jersey, sweatshirt, and t-shirt. Long fingered gloves would have helped me stay warm against the brisk autumn air. But they were back at MY house, alongside my climbing skills. I had to walk the first of many hills on this ride - see the elevation profile to understand why. I quickly fell behind my friends.

I caught up with Tim and Ian at the first rest stop, just in time to offer my multitool to help fix a problem with Tim's pedals. A couple of miles out of the rest stop, Ian fell, banging up both the rider and his four day old Surley Cross Check. Ian was bruised; the bike had to have the front brake loosened to the point it barely functioned. The brakes worked well enough that Ian, and his dad, thought he could continue.

Ian himself was barely functional for the rest of the ride. In addition to some scrapes and a bruised hip, he was suffering from the ride itself, never having ridden 50 miles before, let alone 50 miles on hills like these. Father and son making a wrong turn at one point and adding 4 miles to their day didn't help Ian. It did help me, since I caught up to them at the last rest stop. Or more accurately, they caught up to me, arriving just as I was to leave. We left the final rest stop at 5 minutes to 2, and completed the final 12 miles of the ride by 3.

The 'suffering' on the ride was a price well-paid for such beautiful scenery. October is a glorious time for the nature lover in Pennsylvania, as the leaves on the trees run riot with color, as the photos here show. The top photo is by Neil Fein; Neil and his wife rode the 20 mile route, which is a flat trip along the Delaware River towpaths. The second and fourth photos are by "guybierhaus" of Bike Forums, who rode the 33 mile route. The elevation profile for the ride and the bottom photo are from the Central Bucks Cycle Club website.