26 Mile Loop via Wrentham Forest

Nice day for a ride. I headed out mid-day with no planned route in mind. Sometimes it is good to wing it. I started out going through Medway and Norfolk on familiar roads and then decided to go through Wrentham and pass go through the Wrentham Forest.

After I went through the forest, I was in unfamiliar territory. I had a vague idea of how the roads in the area were laid out, but only vague. I wound up on some nice back roads just on the outside of 495. I eventually made it back to route 1 coming out right by the Wrentham Outlets. I headed south towards Plainville and took the first right I came upon. I knew there was a road behind the outlets that cut up to Rt. 121 and back into familiar territory.

Another Hot Phat Ride

Tonight was a hot one. I think the temperatures was in the high 80's to lower 90's. I recalled some mentioning of "taking it easy" due to the heat. Heh. I don't think that happened. At the halfway point my bike computer registered an average speed of 19.9 mph.(My overall average was 18.6 mph.) That was my speed despite getting dropped by the lead group @ miles ~6.5 and the second lead group at ~10.5 miles. One of these days I won't get dropped. Last time I got dropped by the majority @ ~4.6 miles. I paced myself better this time and made a point to not be in the front. However, after the halfway break I found myself in the front during the 2nd half warm-up. A tactical error that cost me.

No GPS track for this ride as my Garmin eTrex Legend "self powered down" a couple of times.

Wildwood NJ Sunrise Ride

Early morning ride around Cape May...

Knowing I was going to be spending some time in Wildwood Crest, NJ I searched MapMyRun.com for some rides in the area. I did manage to do one ride while I was there. I found the CQUAD.com Township Loop on MapMyRun.com. It was a good route. I didn't stay completely true to the route, diverging here and there. I wanted the start to be close to the shore (and at 6:00 AM, traffic wasn't a concern...). I also jumped on a bike path for a change of pace. Part of this route retraced last year's High Point to Cape May Ride.

First biker spotting...

Friendly old man who checked in on me as I was adjusting my seat height.

It was so early when I started, that it took a while before I saw another biker. It happened to be an old man moving along like he didn't have a care in the world. I had stopped to adjust my seat height and he asked me if everything was OK.

Cold Spring Bike Path on Cape May

Cold Spring Bike Path

I decided to jump on the Cold Spring Bike Path for a change of pace. I had ridden the on road route last year and traffic was starting to pick up on the road.

First Road Biker...

I drafted him, but we didn't talk.

As I came up to an intersection on the bike path I saw another road biker headed in the same direction on Route 9 (runs parallel to path). I jumped off the path and caught up to him. He knew I was behind him but he didn't say anything. So I respected his solitude and kept quiet. Once we got on the Garden State Parkway (yes, you read correctly...) he continued south while I headed east back to Wildwood Crest. While I was waiting at the light, I saw another biker come north and turn onto the road I was turning onto...

Reeling in another biker...

It was a long light so he got a bit ahead of me. I paced myself and began reeling him in without overexerting myself.

Caught!

This Biker I chatted with...

I caught him. We chatted. He was just headed out while I was just wrapping up. He was coming from the town of Cape May and was going to ride the Wildwood Boardwalk and then head up to Avalon

My New Shirt!

Last but not least, I wore my new bike jersey for this ride. It was a birthday present from my family who are visiting from Germany.

Highland Lakes to Ringwood...

Greenwood Lake

My old Stomping Grounds...

Today I rode from my mother's house in Highland Lakes to my Father's house in Ringwood, NJ. I took the shortcut through Waywayanda State Park. I had to pass through 1/10th of a mile of hard pack dirt road, but it was no big deal. The route is mostly downhill starting at ~1300" and ending up at ~500".

There was a big decent that I was a little worried about. Luckily traffic was light and the road was freshly paved from top to bottom. I topped out near 44 mph. It was fun.

A little after that I hit some rough road as there was a big construction project to re-route part of the Warwick Turnpike just south-east of Greenwood lake.

It was only 20 miles but it was a good ride. I actually beat my wife and daughters who left a little after me and had to take a route that didn't cut through the state park.

NJ Bound...

The important things are packed. Now to pack my clothes...

Phat Ride, Getting There was an Adventure in Itself...

Getting there was half the battle...

Normally my train gets into the Norfolk T stop right around 5:00 or so. (I get in early, 7:00 am at my desk, so I can get out early.) Today, due to whatever, the train gets in 15 minutes late. OK, so my window of getting home, changing, making a batch of Gatorade (I buy the powder), and loading the bike on the car is a little shorter. I can deal with that. So I am cutting it close now. I am driving though downtown Franklin, almost halfway to the ride start, drinking my pre-ride Gatorade, and I am looking at my bag of stuff. Seems like it isn't as full as it should be.

MY SHOES!!!

I don't know if I can make it home, grab my shoes, and still make it to the ride before 6:00 PM. Succede or fail, I am going to try. I do not want to miss this weeks ride.

By the time I grab my shoes and get back in the car, it is roughly 5:45. I have to make it ~5.7 miles to the other side of Franklin.

On the way I start putting on my bike shoes while driving. Every once in a while I check to make sure the bike is still on the back. Somehow I get to the ride start @ 5:58. My car, 2004 Subaru Outback, has funny smells eminating from it. Either the brake pads or the clutch. Most likely both. I guess I shouldn't drive it as if it were my old Integra with the racing suspension...

I put my other shoe on (I was only able to put my left shoe on en route), add some air to the tires, clip in, and the ride begins...

Running on Adrenalin...

So I start the ride wired with adrenalin from my arriving just-in-time. It lasts for about 5 miles until we hit a grade on Burnt Swamp road. Then I get dropped from the lead group. ## Insert Profanity here ##

At least I know I'll catch up with everyone at the halfway rest stop. It was a hot one today...

Hot... @ the Half-way point.

At the rest stop I did the sensible thing and let the fast group go out and rode with the still-fast-but-not-quite-as-fast group.

Tactical Knowledge...

I need to work on tactics. That and pacing. I need to know when to hold back and not waste energy and effort for when I really need it.

Not as fast as last time...

Not as fast, but still fast. I averaged 17.8 mph. So this is the second fastest I have ever ridden.

Old Benchmark Ride...

Well... Today I "was" going to do the "NBW-098 North Country Fifty" ride out of Greenville, RI. However a number of factors came into play such that I had to forgo that ride.

1. My daughter was sick
2. My driveway was being overtaken by our Forsythia Bush.

So I didn't want to be away from my sick daughter for the better part of the day. She has a Coxsackie virus and she was experiencing a lot of pain in her throat.

I also needed to reclaim part of my driveway from overgrown vegetation.

So I revisited a modified version of an old benchmark ride that I haven't done in a number of years. It is a 16 mile route that encircles Franklin. I used to do a different version of this route when I just had my 1990 Specialized Rockhopper for a bike and I would cut through "unpaved" areas. I still have this bike. I plan on transforming it into a commuter friendly bike.

I never used to see bikers along Maple Street (runs north-south along the Franklin-Bellingham border). I always thought, "this is a great road to bike on". It is relatively wide for a back road and has light to moderate traffic. It is also nicely surfaced. Well today I saw at least 4-5 other bikers riding on this road :-)

I shouldn't be surprised at that since I have noticed more and more bike club route markers appearing on the roads in the past couple of years.

Anyway, at least I got a short ride in today...