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:
Despite having meetings that ran late I was able to squeeze in another ride. If business had ended at noon I would have attempted to ride up Otay Lakes into the mountains. I figured the ride would be around 80 miles bringing me back to the hotel when it was dark. Since 12 miles or so of the end of the ride were on a bike trail I figured it wouldn't be so bad at night.
However, I had to switch to plan B when meetings didn't break until 2:30. Plan B was to bike down to the Mexican Border and check out Border Field State Park A local rider I met told me there were some climbs there that overlook Mexico and the ride through the park is very scenic. It's also only 15 miles south of where I was staying meaning a doable 30 miler.
Around mile 11 I begin seeing the Park and its mountain.
I start getting excited thinking that the day has been saved and plan B doesn't look so bad after all.
Unfortunately, there was a heavy storm yesterday which kept me from riding on my only full day off. Since Border Field State Park is an estruary this meant serious flooding.
My heart sank.
I briefly thought about trying to go through it but a border patrol agent told me it only gets worse down the road. He then went on to tell me how nice of a winding climb it is to the top. I turned back and headed towards some of the roads that skirt the US Border.
Here is a picture I snapped of the US/Mexico Border Wall. It's a little tin wall, all the development you see is on the Mexico side.
After riding along the border for a bit I headed back towards the hotel. Since San Diego is home to a major naval base I was able to snap a picture of a Navy ship as I cycled up the coast/
And here's a view of San Diego and the Coronado Bridge from the bikeway heading North.
As always I recorded the ride with the Garmin Edge 305. Here is the uploaded file on Motionbased:
Oh, I almost forgot. I titled the post Broke-Bike Mountain. That's because my shifter cable snapped and whatever the piece is that holds the cables under the crank broke off somehow as I was cycling away from the mountain at the park. I will be heading to the shop as soon as I get off the plane (and vote in the primary)
Every time you get on a bike, especially in a highly populated area like North Jersey (my regular route takes me through the most densely populated city in the USA - Union City) you realize that your life is in the hands of the thousands of motorists you encounter.
Yesterday I took my regular 50 mile route to Piermont, NY and back. Upon returning I couldn't go up the 14th street viaduct that climbs from Hoboken to the Jersey City/Union City border. Apparently a multi-car accident had occurred 20 minutes prior to my arrival. I didn't realize how horrible the accident was until reading news reports today, 3 dead 7 other hospitalized. A few minutes earlier I may have been on the road myself.
Here is a Photo of the accident posted on the blog Hoboken 411:
Here is a map of the crash area, there are not many options of getting to Jersey City from Hoboken, as you can see I had to circle the city to get to another road
Today's commute was the first time cycling below 30 degrees. The fact that 20 of the 22 miles are also along a wide stretch of the Hudson River also means that the wind chill factor brings the temp even lower.
For my below 35 degrees Winter Gear I am using the following
MorFit Baselayer $60 Works incredibly well. Before buying it even in layers I would feel a bit of a chill in certain areas, not anymore.
2008 Cannondale L.E. Jersey $150 Warm, Comfortable, Full Zipper and Feels great
2008 Cannondale Morphis Shell $99 Magically keeps those blustering winds from penetrating to the body. One Major criticism... needs more reflective materials. Oh and the sleeves come off easily to turn the shell into a vest which is great especially when riding through sometimes drastic temperature/weather changes. As a commuter 6am can be very different from 6pm and it's awesome to have options.
Cannondale L.E. Balaclava (forgot the price) Once again, very pleased with the feel and functionality.
Assos Gloves (price = ALOT) The hardest things for me to keep warm while riding are fingers and feet so I felt justified in going for what I have heard are the best gloves on the market. My hands didn't feel any cold at all, toasty warm the whole time.
Cannondale L.E. Bootie (forgot the price) I would link to the Cannondale page but it seems they no longer offer these. That's good because they don't work at all. After about 45 minutes your toes are freezing, might as well not be wearing anything. I'm going to have to get something different if I am going to do any long rides on the weekend in this kind of weather.
Today's ride was the normal route...42 miles
Clicking the above map will bring you to my motionbased.com account.
