In NJ
I'm visiting my parents in NJ. I mapped out some ride options and brought my bike. I decided to do the ~40 mile option.
Mile 2: Flat Tire
2 miles into my ride I get a flat tire. Blech... My rear tire is pretty worn dome and there is a big old hole in it. So I pullout a crispy $1 bill and line the interior of the tire with it for reinforcement. Then I install the new tube and off I go.
Big Descent
My mother live on top of a mountain that is probably the second highest point in NJ. Most of my ride will be in the valley. I descend on Barret Road: 1.5 miles from an elevation of ~1,275" to 450". Towards the beginning of my descent I notice there is a lot of play in my rear brakes. I had forgotten to close my rear brakes after changing my rear tire. Oops. I descend without incident checking my speed the whole way.
Rolling Hills in the Warwick Valley
The valley isn't flat. There are flat parts by the black dirt onion/turf farms, but not where I was riding. Refer to the elevation profile at the bottom. Even though I have done 40 mile rides before, this one tires me out. Heat + sun + hills. I stop and rest two times. Uncharacteristic of me for a ride of this length.
Deer
I saw a lot of deer along my ride. I even had a baby deer running alongside me at one point.
Distant Hills, originally uploaded by Martinator.
See those mountains on the horizon, that's my start and end point.
Brady Road
I chose Brady Road for my climb back up the mountain because I figured it has the most reasonable grade. I had also ridden up this road on my mountain bike when I lived here in the early 90's so I was familiar with the climb. Of course that was on a mountain bike with really low gearing.
It wasn't a busy road so I was able to criss-cross it in a zig-zag pattern to take some of the bite out of the 10% grade.
Summary
39.69 miles, 14.2 mph average; 3,807" of climbing. Warwick Valley Ride on Motionbased.com
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