I was down about losing two opportune days for riding so I decided Saturday would be one for the books. I've been meaning to venture west for some time now in an effort to make my usual ride into a loop.
Outside of club rides which are all pretty much West and South of Newark I typically ride North of Jersey City, up 9w and then retrace my steps back down. I knew that North of Newark and West of 9w there would be plenty of great roads to ride on, after all I grew up in Paterson right in the heart of Northern Jersey. I also knew of other cyclists who make a loop out of 9w by traveling West and then North through NY state.
Well this Saturday I ventured out to find a suitable route that I could turn into a loop. My reward was a 120 mile journey with 12,800 feet of climbing, Oh don't forget the sustained 10mph north/west winds.
The day began the same way I always start rides, a bit of reflection and meditation at the park across the street from my apartment which offers majestic views of Hoboken and NYC. Especially when I venture outside this urban area one last look at the NYC skyline always puts everything into perspective.
my faithful winter horse awaits its latest adventure
I brought my camera along with me for the ride but as usual I became so focused on the ride that the above was the only pic I snapped.
Here's a look at the route:
and here's the elevation profile
It was a tough ride especially since half of the ride was on roads I have never done before. No way to gauge how much effort to put on the climbs, not knowing when the next one would be and constantly worrying if there would be anywhere to refuel as it gets very rural.
This was one of those rides where after a while it becomes difficult to turn the cranks even on downhills. I don't remember much after mile 90. I had snot coming out of my nose, I was drooling and making weird noises traveling about 3mph on the downhills. I think a group of cyclists passed by me and asked if I was okay but I may have also imagined it.
This was also the farthest North I have gone on 9w. I rode by one of the most famous climbs in the greater NYC area, Bear Mountain. It's a 2.5 mile climb with an average gradient of 7%, if you start at the entrance to the Park it can become a 5 mile climb though the average grade declines considerably. As I said I rode by it, I was at mile 70 at this point and knew I was going to face quite a few large hills on the way back (Rockland Lake & State Line hill).
Can't wait to do it again next weekend!
I recorded the ride and it can be viewed here
I had Thursday and Friday off of work for the holidays so I was looking forward to getting some miles in. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating. The days were sunny with temperatures in the range of what one would expect for March (high 30's low 40's). Unfortunately Thursday had sustained winds of 20-30mph with gusts as high as 50mph.
Friday was more of the same. I ventured out after 1pm for a quick ride since the weatherman had said the wind would calm down in the afternoon. They did calm down... except for the every 5 minute burst of 45mph winds. On several occasion I was literally blown into traffic with two serious close calls.
At the 5 mile mark I turned to go back ..I didn't want to push my luck.
Speaking of luck I recently read about the Madonna Del Ghisallo who was declared by Pope Pius XII as the Patron Saint of Cyclists. Being raised Catholic I decided it might be a good idea to get a Madonna Del Ghisallo necklace for added security:
It's official. The race is on for most famous bike of 2008.
Entry #1
In NYC (and I think this has since spread to other cities) when a cyclist is killed a Ghost Bike is put in the location where the tragedy occurred. It didn't take long for a corporation to come along and pervert the ghost bike concept.
A few weeks ago a retail/fashion chain put bright orange bikes all over NYC with their website emblazoned along the side:
Naturally this caused an uproar in the cycling community and swift action by the NYPD.
Entry #2
A couple of days ago it is alleged that someone on a bicycle bombed a military recruitment center in Times Square in NYC. Within days the suspected bicycle was recovered.
I'm not sure what message the "bomber" was trying to send via his/her choice of bike; however, I do have two ideas.
1. The bomber did not want to implicate the cycling community of the greater NYC area so he/she purposely used a bike that no serious cyclist would be caught dead riding. In fact, the bomber went to great risk in this endeavor by leaving all the reflectors on the bike. It must have been a tough choice, leave the reflectors on and perhaps be seen or leave them off and risk implicating serious cyclists (note: cool cyclists remove all reflectors, I learned this on my first group ride when everyone laughed and chuckled as they rode by me).
The kickstand is also a nice touch, I imagine the bombers get away could have been much faster without the extra grams.
2. Given that it's an old bike and is outfitted with suicide bars this could very well have been a failed suicide bombing mission.
P.S.
Obviously the individual that did this feels strongly against the U.S. military. Can we tell by the bike that was used what political candidate the rider probably supports. Does this bike scream out Hillary? Obama? maybe Ron Paul?
