Ride Report, January 12, 2008

Having spent four days fighting off a head and chest cold, I was eager to be back on the bike. On discovering that a group of Bicycle Club of Philadelphia members were planning a ride from Valley Forge to Paoli to visit a member recovering from knee replacement, I wanted to go too. And when the ride leader stated no one would be dropped, I signed up.

Paoli is a sizable climb from Valley Forge, rising above the area on a high ridge. The ride leader describes the route and the ride below, in a report we have taken from the BCP email list.

"On the way to the Bryn Mawr Rehab Center, there was one 
thought that was inescapable when I drew up the map in my
head.  There is NO easy way up the ridge!

"This knowledge led me to make the only possible choice.  Take
the roads up the ridge that would ensure the least amount of
traffic!  Three intrepid riders met me in the lower parking lot of
the Valley Forge Visitors Center.... Once we arrived at the base of the ridge, the
only assurances I made was that while the easiest way up the ridge
was to our right, we could take our time going straight ahead, and
that was preferable to being run down by a car going 50 miles an hour up Route 252!

"It took some time, but we all made it up the hill and
continued on our way.  The most traffic we encountered was on Paoli
Pike, (the miles closest to the hospital,) but I can say without any
hesitation that we all made it no worse for wear. 

"Anyway, the trip back was relatively uneventful,
but we did have a chance to do a ripping descent down that ridge!  I
am not sure that everyone thought it was worth the price of
admission, but we all managed to make it back to the parking lot
where we bid our farewells.  Rides like this are the reason why it is
so cool being a ride leader!"

I was knocked out by the ride, to the point I felt nauseated by the time we reached the hospital. After rest, water, food, and electrolytes, I felt better, and the massive downhill at 35 MPH leaving Paoli helped as well. Still, my legs and lungs were spent by the time I'd reached Valley Forge at the end of the ride. I'm not sure if I should blame the cold weather, the headcold, or the additional weight I've added in the offseason for my troubles this day. Fortunately, I had parked in Audubon, up the Schuylkill River Trail, which allowed me to add miles above the 26 the ride took for the price of relatively little additional exertion. Total miles for the day, 33.

In Suspense

I received a pair of bike shorts as a gift. They are road shorts, but not bibs. And, like many guys with guts, they don't stay up well. While lamenting my lot, I stumbled across the following post on Bike Forums:

"I couldn't stomach the difference in price between shorts and bibs so i buy Aerotech shorts, and a $4 set of suspenders. I put on an "Underarmor" shirt, the cycling shorts with the suspenders holding them up to keep my belly from rolling them down in the front, then a t-shirt or loose jersey over the suspenders. It works great and I save lots of money buying shorts instead of bibs."

I must be spending too much time with Neil "Fixit" Fein, because I decided to put bike short suspenders to a practical test. (Neil F. probably would use zip ties and velcro to solve the problem, but I digress.) I wore my Verge road shorts, held up by inexpensive suspenders with plastic grippers, on my ride on the Skippack Trail Sunday. Because it was 45 degrees, I wore tights and a jacket in addition to my jersey, compression shirt, and shorts.

The first problem was getting the suspender length right. Too much slack and they don't hold the shorts up; too little and the suspenders pop off. Since I ran errands and drove to the trailhead before the ride I came 'unfastened' while in the car. Fortunately the Graterford trailhead was almost entirely empty, and I was shielded by my car door as I reattached the suspenders and 'adjusted' everything back into place.

During the ride I came unfastened on one side twice; once going over a large rise - no jokes, please! - and when I fell after failing to clear a bollard. Other than the fact the shorts didn't roll down in front, I found no significant improvement in fit. So its too soon to reach a verdict, and I'll have to try this again, perhaps in warmer weather when I am lighter and I'm not wearing tights over the shorts.

Ride Report, January 13, 2008

Yesterday's ride was 13 miles on the Perkiomen Trail, leading into the newly constructed Skippack Trail. I've mentioned my fall and the winter storm in another post, so I'll concentrate on describing the trail itself.

The Skippack Trail is an initiative of Skippack Township. It links to the Perkiomen Trail near Graterford, follows PECO right of way up a climb and into the township's Palmer Park, and then splits into two. One branch resumes following the power lines into Evansburg State Park, and the other runs into the Village of Skippack. Skippack is like New Hope, PA, without the Delaware River; antiques, arts, crafts, fine dining, theater, all in a historic rural setting. The Village is a favorite mid-point of a number of Bicycle Club of Philadelphia rides, not just because of the food, but because the surrounding area is scenic farmland and gently rolling hills.

The trail is still a work in progress. There's not enough signage, particularly on the branch leading to Skippack. At times it wasn't clear where the trail picked up after a street crossing. Some of the turns are very tight for a bicycle, particularly in Palmer Park. And I've mention my problem with one of the bollards. Pedestrians oftentimes don't move when you call "on the left." And horses use the trail, so there's an occasional road apple to avoid. Still, it was a nice ride. Of the two branches, the one into the Village of Skippack is the more enjoyable ride, since it's longer and more scenic. Palmer Park in particular is well-worth seeing, and it has a sizable bike path of its own. But Evensburg State Park has MTB trails, so some folks will put up with riding around the power lines to go there.

The township's train information page:

http://skippacktownship.org/TrailInfo.htm

A videotape of the the trail to Evansburg Park:

http://bcgp.blogspot.com/2007/11/ski...ail-video.html

First Fall of 2008!

Ah, the first fall of 2008! Yesterday afternoon I clipped a bollard crossing Collegeville Road on the Skippack Trail. Fortunately, I tried to put a foot down, which reduced my momentum when I hit the pavement. I landed on both hands and knees, and my long-fingered gloves and tights took the road rash for me. The bike seems to be OK, and I'm fine, although I feel very creaky this morning. I have some swelling in my right knee, and soreness in my joints.

Despite the fall, I completed 13 miles on the new Skippack Trail network of multi-use paths. That's the whole thing, more or less. I got back to my car just as the evening's predicted winter storm began to move in.