Category: bike ride

Day 4 – Towson to Annapolis

When things go wrong, you sometimes get lucky.

(Finally catching up on the blog after a few late nights…)

Ross and Mike
Ross and Mike

When things go wrong, you sometimes get lucky.

I headed out of Towson with two other riders. One had checked his tire pressure that morning and it was really low. So he pumped up the tires to the maximum amount listed on the tire sidewalls.

Bad idea. The tires, it turned out, were old and cracking (but somehow not spotted by the bike shop that did the pre-ride check). We were just a couple of miles into the ride when one blew. Not badly, but there was a cut on the sidewall, and the inner tube had a puncture.

So we pulled over and were just starting to haul out the tools when a guy biked by in the other direction. And as many cyclists do when they see someone pulled over, he called out to see if we were OK or needed anything.

Amazingly, the two guys said we’re not sure. (First clue that I probably have more experience fixing flats than this pair.)

So Ross hit the brakes, came over and took charge. Turns out he’s a bike mechanic (and full-time student and on a local racing team), and he diagnosed the problem behind the flat in an instant. This bike clearly needed new tires if it was going to get its rider to Fredericksburg. Ross got the bike rideable and we headed to the shop where he works (which wasn’t supposed to open for at least another 90 minutes). Between him and Mike, we were back in business pretty quickly. Better yet, we were only a few blocks off the East Coast Greenway route.

So thanks, Twenty20 Cycling!

Who are the riders?

Guess our favorite color.

A few things to know about the 40 (or is it 41?) riders on this year’s East Coast Greenway ride:

lime green

High-visibility lime green seems to be our favorite color. I have never seen so much of it! And yes, I’ve been wearing my lime-green jacket quite a bit too. For those who wonder why cyclists often wear gaudily patterned jerseys, it’s so they get noticed by motorists.

We skew older. Like other week-long rides I’ve been on, there are a lot of retirees. And not just early retirees. May I still be riding longer distances well into my 70s. Next up are the 50-somethings. I think there’s just one 20-something on this one, and he was enlisted by his dad.

He? Yeah, I’d say the majority are men, though I haven’t done the tally.

Riders are less intense than on other rides, and very supportive of each other. There’s not this dash to get in early that I’ve often seen. And one reason I’ve been able to ride with a fast group at times is that they aren’t all on road bikes. Many are on hybrids, and some tires are pretty knobby, so more resistance and therefore require more energy to move. I’ve seen a couple of Bike Fridays (a collapsable bike with road-bike gearing) and even a Dahon (a more typical foldable bike).

The biggest group by state is from Connecticut. Rhode Island and now New Jersey are also well-represented. I don’t think there’s anyone from Delaware, Maryland or Virginia.

About a dozen people have done every one of these week-long rides since they started at the Canadian border. There are definitely some pre-existing groups, but everyone is welcoming to others who want to ride with them.

Where do the bikes go? The fancy Hotel DuPont gave us a separate meeting room. But at the Super 8 (where the room was the size of the DuPont room’s bathroom) and the Sheraton in Towson, where I am now, we brought them into our rooms.

And yes, Melinda is doing great.

Day 3 — Havre de Grace to Towson, Maryland, on the East Coast Greenway

In a word, hilly.

In a word, hilly.

Continue reading “Day 3 — Havre de Grace to Towson, Maryland, on the East Coast Greenway”

Day 2 on the East Coast Greenway — Wilmington, Delaware, to Havre de Grace, Maryland

Our boatless adventures from Wilmington to Havre de Grace.

We were supposed to be like Washington crossing the Delaware, getting on barges to cross the Susquehanna from Perryville to Havre de Grace in Maryland.

But somehow the boat people thought this was happening on Wednesday, not Monday. So we became more like Dunkirk, mustering vehicles of every size to get us across the no-bikes-allowed bridge.

Continue reading “Day 2 on the East Coast Greenway — Wilmington, Delaware, to Havre de Grace, Maryland”

Lafayette came through Elkton, Maryland

Came across this bit of history as we rode through Elkton. I had to stop.

Came across this bit of history as we rode through Elkton on the East Coast Greenway. I had to stop.

lafayette in elkton

Who is Kelly Drive in Philadelphia named after?

If you, like me, said Grace Kelly, aka Princess Grace of Monaco, wrong.

If you, like me, said Grace Kelly, aka Princess Grace of Monaco, wrong.

And it’s not the John B. Kelly whose statue you see on the Schuylkill River Trail around Boathouse Row. (This is the sort of stuff you notice moving at bike speed.) He won three Olympic golds in rowing and lived in Philadelphia.

John B. Kelly statue, via wikipedia
John B. Kelly Sr. statue, via Wikipedia

No, it’s his son, John B. Kelly Jr., who was a city councilman. And brother of Princess Grace. He also was a rower and went to four Olympics. But the best he did was one bronze.

Politics?

Day 1 — Conshohocken to Philadelphia to Wilmington

Today’s 50-mile route was bookended by two fabulous trails: The Schuylkill River Trail and the Northern Delaware Greenway trail.

ECG sign

Today’s 50-mile route was bookended by two fabulous trails: The Schuylkill River Trail that runs from Conshohocken (actually 27 miles from Valley Forge, or even beyond, with some road bits) to Philadelphia, and the Northern Delaware Greenway trail, which runs for at least nine miles, sometimes in sight of I-95(!), and connects several parks before it essentially dumped us out in downtown Wilmington.

From the Schuylkill...
From the Schuylkill…

... to the wooded Northern Delaware Greenway
… to the wooded Northern Delaware Greenway

In between was plenty of urban grit and some surprises, such as the view of the Philadelphia skyline from Bartram’s Garden. And then the birds enjoying the wetlands of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge within sight of the airport.

Philadelphia from Bartram's Garden

John Heinz nature refuge

Of course we also stumbled across odd stuff too, like the groups of guys who drove their cars onto the piers under the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester. Not that there looked like there was much to do in town.

chester

 

 

Sunday morning

One of the best thing about staying with friends instead of a hotel: Last night’s leftovers for breakfast, says this non-egg-eater.

One of the best thing about staying with friends instead of a hotel: Last night’s leftovers for breakfast, says this non-egg-eater. Of course the conversation is even better. So why I am blogging?

leftovers

Time to head to the start to load the truck, get the safety talk and then head out.

Day 0 — Conshohocken

Beer and bikes go together, especially for guys. So off we went with many of the East Coast Greenway riders to the Conshohocken Brewery, where on summer weekends as many customers come in through the back door (which faces the Schuylkill Trail) as through the front door.

Beer and bikes go together, especially for guys. So off we went on Saturday evening with many of the East Coast Greenway riders to the Conshohocken Brewery, where on summer weekends as many customers come in through the back door (which faces the Schuylkill Trail) as through the front door. No surprise, then, that it plays up its affinity for cyclists, from its logo to the bike jerseys for sale.

brewery logoThe brewery has been operational for less than a year and is exceeding expectations, one of the riders (and an investor) says. And the trail is heaving with cyclists, runners and others on weekends and during the week too, as people head to and from work. It was built in 1976 for the Bicentennial, when this area was struggling. Now the area is thriving and I’m going to give the trail some of the credit. It’s hard for me to understand why other parts of the city (and in other cities) are so resistant to trails that take people off the roads, reducing congestion for those who prefer to drive and helping to revitalize neighborhoods.

Are you paying attention, other parts of Philadelphia?

bike jerseys

Packing for the ride

I’m packing up for the ride, hoping I don’t forget anything major. Any last-minute suggestions?

packingIt’s almost that time!

I’m packing up for the ride, hoping I don’t forget anything major. Yes, I once drove to a day ride without my bike shoes. Unlike my neighbor the project manager, I’ve been lax about a packing list and still need to pick up some spare tubes for my tires. Any last-minute-suggestions? (One advantage of riding a route that connects cities: how far will I ever be from a store?)

Unlike the self-supported rides I have done, the East Coast Greenway is hauling all the gear. Will I end up overpacking?

Then I head to Philadelphia Saturday afternoon for a pre-ride gathering with some of the other 39 riders.  And at 10 a.m. on Sunday, we start riding and I’ll find out if I did enough training. May it not rain all week, at least while I’m on my bike. (Got the rain jacket, got these Dutch “rain legs” that don’t smother you like pants would.)

Meanwhile, the ride has already raised more than $42,500 for the East Coast Greenway. Thank you to all who have supported me!