I made it safely back home after a marathon drive involving 2 minivans, plus a bonus 6 mile bike ride in the middle (from the car rental place to the motel where I had left my own minivan). I will add more to the last few posts tomorrow.
Thanks Kent, Carol, and everyone else for your generosity!!!
Jim
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Hill day for Kent Hill
After yesterday's marathon hill-climbing session, riders approached today's route with some trepidation. A local resident whom Kent had ridden with on the Bike Virginia Tour suggested an alternate route that would detour around many of the steepest and longest climbs. Based on this info, the group decided to split into a mountain group and a detour group. Kent, of course, opted for the official America by Bicycle route, the one over the climbs.
I was in the climbing group also, and we headed toward our first climb. The first hill gave us a good workout, and after a quick descent we found ourselves faced with the next, and longest climb. An earlier rider had left an ominous message at the base of the hill.
It was quite an effort that brought our group, now known as "The Full Mount-y" to the top. The climb was between 10 and 14 percent for several miles, which would probably make it a ranked climb in the Tour de France. These pictures show most of our group climbing. You can almost see the sweat dripping!
Once again, everyone made it successfully over the top. Another series of descents took us to the next challenge, a one-mile stretch of wet dirt road. It was slippery, but firm, without much gravel.
We carefully negotiated the dirt, but were each quite taken aback when we passed two bikes, arranged at the side of the road at a culvert as if they were wrecked. We each first thought it was whoever was ahead of them on the descent until a closer look showed them to be just a cruel joke. Ha Ha!
Having survived the worst (maybe) of the route, we faced a new challenge. We were expecting a sag stop soon where we would rest and refuel. Unfortunately, there were two places where those two roads intersected, and the sag stop was set up at the first one, which we never went by. We entered the road about a mile up, and kept going, expecting to see the sag cars around each "next corner". We finally pulled over in the village of Antrim, and got preliminary snackage at the local market.
A series of phone calls finally brought our support to where we were, and with it the official snacks, including this donut being wolfed down by Kent.
After munching out, our tired legs felt better, and we passed through miles and miles of the beautiful New Hampshire scenery.
Our final challenge was the infamous Joe English Road hill. This is a staple of the America By Bicycle route, a final test of our mettle, our worthiness to continue on to the coast. Here, the group stops at the bottom for a picture.
It was a brutal torture test in the 91 degree heat, but we again prevailed! Several miles of rolling hills brought us into the industrial Manchester area, with all the traffic and noise we really not been missing. Tomorrow- on to the coast!!
I was in the climbing group also, and we headed toward our first climb. The first hill gave us a good workout, and after a quick descent we found ourselves faced with the next, and longest climb. An earlier rider had left an ominous message at the base of the hill.
It was quite an effort that brought our group, now known as "The Full Mount-y" to the top. The climb was between 10 and 14 percent for several miles, which would probably make it a ranked climb in the Tour de France. These pictures show most of our group climbing. You can almost see the sweat dripping!
Once again, everyone made it successfully over the top. Another series of descents took us to the next challenge, a one-mile stretch of wet dirt road. It was slippery, but firm, without much gravel.
We carefully negotiated the dirt, but were each quite taken aback when we passed two bikes, arranged at the side of the road at a culvert as if they were wrecked. We each first thought it was whoever was ahead of them on the descent until a closer look showed them to be just a cruel joke. Ha Ha!
Having survived the worst (maybe) of the route, we faced a new challenge. We were expecting a sag stop soon where we would rest and refuel. Unfortunately, there were two places where those two roads intersected, and the sag stop was set up at the first one, which we never went by. We entered the road about a mile up, and kept going, expecting to see the sag cars around each "next corner". We finally pulled over in the village of Antrim, and got preliminary snackage at the local market.
A series of phone calls finally brought our support to where we were, and with it the official snacks, including this donut being wolfed down by Kent.
After munching out, our tired legs felt better, and we passed through miles and miles of the beautiful New Hampshire scenery.
Our final challenge was the infamous Joe English Road hill. This is a staple of the America By Bicycle route, a final test of our mettle, our worthiness to continue on to the coast. Here, the group stops at the bottom for a picture.
It was a brutal torture test in the 91 degree heat, but we again prevailed! Several miles of rolling hills brought us into the industrial Manchester area, with all the traffic and noise we really not been missing. Tomorrow- on to the coast!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Into theMountains-For Real!
I am writing this quickly as I wait to leave on Thursday morning. I have had a really difficult time loading blogs and pictures even with what seem like good internet connections. Anyway, if I say "today" it means Wednesday.
This morning it was cool and clear, and we got an earlier start since the route was longer and took us into the mountains. Our group now consists of Kent, his wife Carol; their son Chris, wife Mattie; Mike Powell, wife Randee; Joe Kincheloe, Marty McGetrick, Ilkka Suvanto, Kent's daughter Renee, Husband Charlie Connell; Ted Leh, Myself, and Kent and Carol's four grandchildren. While the men ride, the women take care of the grandkids, shop, and most importantly, support the riders by providing great sag service at perfect locations.
The riding party first fueled up at the quintessential American diner, the Blue Benn, complete with a railroad car for the dining area. I had french toast again. Kent had blueberry pancakes, or more accurately blueberries with a pancake binder.
Appetites sated, our group rolled eastward toward our first challenge, right out of town, a 5 mile climb. The cue sheet listed it at 10 miles, but it pretty much leveled off at about 5. Here, Joe leads Kent up the first climb. Notice the look of determination of both riders!
Fortunately, there was a downhill for each uphill, since we are heading for the ocean. Here, Ilkka whips past on a descent at top speed.
In the small, touristy village of Wilmington, Randee and Carol had fixed a really nice rest stop for us. Mike jokingly tried to load his bike onto the bike rack as his commentary on the long climbs.
After the great snack stop (Kudos to Carol and Randee!) we hit the hills again. Here is a picture of Kent at the overlook for the Hogback Mountain ski area.
Descending, we made it to the historic town of Brattleboro in time for lunch. We ate at the Riverfront Cafe, located right on the banks of the Connecticut River. Last year, Ilkka had eaten there and recommended it for its food and the great view from the upstairs deck. We chose to eat outside since the weather was great.
As we left the restaurant, one of the waitresses suggested a better way to leave Brattleboro which would let us avoid traffic. As it turns out, the alternate route added about 10 miles to our route, plus an overdose of big hills. the one consolation was seeing Kent into the final state of his trek, New Hampshire at last!
The roads of Keene finally rolled under our wheels. We arrived at the Best Western only to find the parking lot full of black SUV's, and the doors attended by black-suited guys with headset walkie-talkies. Turns out that John McCain was on the campaign trail in New Hampshire and was speaking in town tonight. Several of our group encountered him in the motel halls and were able to chat with him briefly.
Whew, Out of New York!
Today we got a somewhat earlier start, since we were riding closer to 60 miles. Also today, the hills begin in earnest. Several of us had elected to stay at the Days Inn instead of the Holiday Inn across the street. The Days Inn was not very plush, but at least we did not have a fire alarm in the middle of the night. Breakfast for me was a belgian waffle and a donut.
At 9:00 it was time to load up, and Mike helped me wrangle my bike down the stairwell and out the door. It was drizzling lightly, but we expected it to gradually clear up, which it eventually did. We met up with the rest of the group at the Holiday Inn, and set out through the bumpy urban streets of Schenectady, headed for the bike trail we had used a lot yesterday.
The bike trail was a delight, keeping us away from the New York traffic for most of the morning.
We could make really good time since we rarely encountered intersections. At one point we went through Jeff Blatnik Park.
I remembered this from last year. Jeff was an relatively unknown Olympic wrestler who beat the top seeded wrestlers one by one and after winning the Gold medal, responded to the ABC comentator's question about his stunning victory with, "I'm a happy dude!" Also on the trail, Joe found the spot where his cross country ride almost came to an end in 2005, whe he encountered a pothole and fell, dislocating his shoulder. Here is the re-enactment. No bikers were harmed in the making of this picture.
Unfortunately, our bike path came to an end as we approached the bridge to Troy. The worst part of the ride came as we stopped to help (watch? )Joe fix a flat. While stopped, all the bikes but mine were up on the sidewalk, but I had just come back from scouting the route ahead, and was still on the street, right by the curb. Suddenly, a car pulled in really close to me and the driver started cussing at me. He pulled up to the curb on the next block, and came back to our group in a very confrontational manner. He came right up to Ted and asked in quite bizarre language, "May I inquire as to what you are doing?
Next came a stream of profanity which I cannot repllicate, but he basically implied that we didn't belong here, and should "get the *%^@ out of here". He seemed really spaced out, and kept rambling on about something, but was mostly incoherent. Our group closed in around Ted and the others who were being confronted, yet the guy seemed ready to take on all 9 of us! Eventually he turned away and drove off. We rode very carefully after that, ready to avoid him if he was waiting down the street. Fortunately we never saw him again and headed across to Troy for lunch.
This makes three times that I, or my group, have been assaulted in this part of New York. Back in 1972, I was riding through Albany, just down the river, with a Mennonite youth biking group called Outspokin. We had made it most of the way through the center of the city when a group of teenage boys closed around us and grabbed our bikes. We talked with them, trying to de-fuse the situation, but they said we would never make it to the end of the block. We managed to ride away, but one of our rider's wheels was hit by a large stick hurled at him, and he broke several spokes. We sprinted away at top speed and finally made it to a better area. Then, last year, as we rode out of Troy, several riders in front of me were verbally assaulted by some local idiots in a car, and I was afraid it too would escalate, but they eventually drove off. I would like to know why this part of New York is so hostile to cyclists. I plan to write a letter to the local papers to do some venting about this.
That incident put somewhat of a damper on our spirits, but a good lunch at the same restaurant we stopped at last year put us back in a riding mood. We were joined by the rest of our gang, including two more of Kent's grandkids. I think our group now numbers around 20, with all the wives, kids, in-laws, and friends who have come along to share the experience.
After lunch, we immediately began our climb out of the Hudson River valley toward the hills of Vermont. It was a cruel first day for Charlie, husband of Kent's daughter who was riding with us for the first time today, but he handled it well, as did all the other riders who have never done this route before. The terrain was challenging, but beautiful. A few miles later, we escorted Kent into the penultimate state of his journey.
Toward the end, we were looking for a bike shop and ice cream stand that were supposed to be at a particular location. We never found them, but our search finally brought us to the beautiful town of Bennington, our destination for the day. Our motel is very nice, a perfect place to unwind from a tough day. We ate at a restaurant in a converted train station. I am really tired now, and think I will stop for now. I may be late in posting this since there is only internet access in the motel lobby.
At 9:00 it was time to load up, and Mike helped me wrangle my bike down the stairwell and out the door. It was drizzling lightly, but we expected it to gradually clear up, which it eventually did. We met up with the rest of the group at the Holiday Inn, and set out through the bumpy urban streets of Schenectady, headed for the bike trail we had used a lot yesterday.
The bike trail was a delight, keeping us away from the New York traffic for most of the morning.
We could make really good time since we rarely encountered intersections. At one point we went through Jeff Blatnik Park.
I remembered this from last year. Jeff was an relatively unknown Olympic wrestler who beat the top seeded wrestlers one by one and after winning the Gold medal, responded to the ABC comentator's question about his stunning victory with, "I'm a happy dude!" Also on the trail, Joe found the spot where his cross country ride almost came to an end in 2005, whe he encountered a pothole and fell, dislocating his shoulder. Here is the re-enactment. No bikers were harmed in the making of this picture.
Unfortunately, our bike path came to an end as we approached the bridge to Troy. The worst part of the ride came as we stopped to help (watch? )Joe fix a flat. While stopped, all the bikes but mine were up on the sidewalk, but I had just come back from scouting the route ahead, and was still on the street, right by the curb. Suddenly, a car pulled in really close to me and the driver started cussing at me. He pulled up to the curb on the next block, and came back to our group in a very confrontational manner. He came right up to Ted and asked in quite bizarre language, "May I inquire as to what you are doing?
Next came a stream of profanity which I cannot repllicate, but he basically implied that we didn't belong here, and should "get the *%^@ out of here". He seemed really spaced out, and kept rambling on about something, but was mostly incoherent. Our group closed in around Ted and the others who were being confronted, yet the guy seemed ready to take on all 9 of us! Eventually he turned away and drove off. We rode very carefully after that, ready to avoid him if he was waiting down the street. Fortunately we never saw him again and headed across to Troy for lunch.
This makes three times that I, or my group, have been assaulted in this part of New York. Back in 1972, I was riding through Albany, just down the river, with a Mennonite youth biking group called Outspokin. We had made it most of the way through the center of the city when a group of teenage boys closed around us and grabbed our bikes. We talked with them, trying to de-fuse the situation, but they said we would never make it to the end of the block. We managed to ride away, but one of our rider's wheels was hit by a large stick hurled at him, and he broke several spokes. We sprinted away at top speed and finally made it to a better area. Then, last year, as we rode out of Troy, several riders in front of me were verbally assaulted by some local idiots in a car, and I was afraid it too would escalate, but they eventually drove off. I would like to know why this part of New York is so hostile to cyclists. I plan to write a letter to the local papers to do some venting about this.
That incident put somewhat of a damper on our spirits, but a good lunch at the same restaurant we stopped at last year put us back in a riding mood. We were joined by the rest of our gang, including two more of Kent's grandkids. I think our group now numbers around 20, with all the wives, kids, in-laws, and friends who have come along to share the experience.
After lunch, we immediately began our climb out of the Hudson River valley toward the hills of Vermont. It was a cruel first day for Charlie, husband of Kent's daughter who was riding with us for the first time today, but he handled it well, as did all the other riders who have never done this route before. The terrain was challenging, but beautiful. A few miles later, we escorted Kent into the penultimate state of his journey.
Toward the end, we were looking for a bike shop and ice cream stand that were supposed to be at a particular location. We never found them, but our search finally brought us to the beautiful town of Bennington, our destination for the day. Our motel is very nice, a perfect place to unwind from a tough day. We ate at a restaurant in a converted train station. I am really tired now, and think I will stop for now. I may be late in posting this since there is only internet access in the motel lobby.
Drizzling along the Mohawk
Today was a short ride, so we decided to hit the road a little later than usual. I woke up at about 7, and headed down the road to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, and managed to phone my daughter Allison while I was walking. She was in Madrid at the time, at the end of a school field trip. I am looking forward to seeing her when I get back to Richmond. She is scheduled to return on tuesday.
At 11, we rode out under increasingly threatening skies. We had an easy route, mostly flat, following the Mohawk River. A few miles down the road, the rain began, but it didn't rain with much enthusiasm. We pressed on, entering a really nice bike trail for the final miles into Schenectady. We stopped at an ice cream stand that America by Bicycle uses as one of their SAG stops (or at least snack stops) when they ride through. It really started to rain while we were there, so we had to ride the last 2 miles to the hbotel through pouring rain. The main problem was the danger posed by puddles of water that hid potholes. Careful riding brought all riders safely to the Holiday Inn. I had decided to stay across the street at the Days Inn since it was a lot cheaper.
Because of the rain, I only got my camera out at the end of the ride, so there are only a couple of pictures.
At 11, we rode out under increasingly threatening skies. We had an easy route, mostly flat, following the Mohawk River. A few miles down the road, the rain began, but it didn't rain with much enthusiasm. We pressed on, entering a really nice bike trail for the final miles into Schenectady. We stopped at an ice cream stand that America by Bicycle uses as one of their SAG stops (or at least snack stops) when they ride through. It really started to rain while we were there, so we had to ride the last 2 miles to the hbotel through pouring rain. The main problem was the danger posed by puddles of water that hid potholes. Careful riding brought all riders safely to the Holiday Inn. I had decided to stay across the street at the Days Inn since it was a lot cheaper.
Because of the rain, I only got my camera out at the end of the ride, so there are only a couple of pictures.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Kent Covers New Ground
I woke up at a civilized 7 a.m. and met the group for breakfast at Denny's. After downing my french toast and OJ, it was time to get started. We posed for a few group pictures in the parking lot of the motel, and then set out.
Our first short leg took us several blocks to the site of the infamous bump that threw Kent last year, resulting in his broken collarbone. He gamely posed for some pictures, as you can see, and then we set of down Route 5, which we would travel for almost the entire journey today.
The group consisted today of Kent, Ilkka, and myself, along with several of Kents friends who are also riding buddies.
We will be joined later by Ted Leh, who also rode on the ABBike ride last summer, and two others.
The weather was perfect for riding, sunny and cool in the morning, and pleasantly warm in the afternoon. We rode at a nice touring pace, stopping at various places for photo ops or for interesting historical places, like locks on the Erie Canal.
Kent's wife Carol and rider Mike Powell's wife Randee are driving the route ahead of us, and provided outstanding sag service at our one official sag stop. They set up in a little park in the village of St Johnsville, sparking the curiosity of the locals watching from houses across the street. They couldn't figure why these two women were setting up a veritable feast, with nobody else around. Eventually our group rode around the corner and the neighbors got to watch seven hungry cyclists engage in a feeding frenzy.
After the delightful sag, we continued up route 5, still along the river until the last several miles where we headed up out of the river valley to Johnstown. We stopped at a Subway for lunch, and were met there by Ted Leh and his family, including son Steven, who had been the youngest rider to complete the coast-to-coast ride last summer. Ted will ride out with us tomorrow as we head down the river to Schenectady.
After we ate, we rode a little farther up the hill to the Holiday Inn, our home for tonight. Unfortunately, they did not have the rooms ready until well after 3. The girl who seemed to be in charge was not at all helpful in getting us into our rooms, acting as if it was unreasonable for us to want to be in the rooms even as "early" as 3 p.m. We waited out in the parking lot for awhile.
Things seemed to start happening when we got our suitcases and started unpacking stuff in the lobby. I thought I could at least start working on my GPS data and pictures. Anyway service was not a priority here. Hopefully tomorrow night will be better.
Tomorrow we have a very short day, just a tad over 30 miles. I recall this stage as including lots of very nice bike paths and lots of river scenery.
Our first short leg took us several blocks to the site of the infamous bump that threw Kent last year, resulting in his broken collarbone. He gamely posed for some pictures, as you can see, and then we set of down Route 5, which we would travel for almost the entire journey today.
The group consisted today of Kent, Ilkka, and myself, along with several of Kents friends who are also riding buddies.
We will be joined later by Ted Leh, who also rode on the ABBike ride last summer, and two others.
The weather was perfect for riding, sunny and cool in the morning, and pleasantly warm in the afternoon. We rode at a nice touring pace, stopping at various places for photo ops or for interesting historical places, like locks on the Erie Canal.
Kent's wife Carol and rider Mike Powell's wife Randee are driving the route ahead of us, and provided outstanding sag service at our one official sag stop. They set up in a little park in the village of St Johnsville, sparking the curiosity of the locals watching from houses across the street. They couldn't figure why these two women were setting up a veritable feast, with nobody else around. Eventually our group rode around the corner and the neighbors got to watch seven hungry cyclists engage in a feeding frenzy.
After the delightful sag, we continued up route 5, still along the river until the last several miles where we headed up out of the river valley to Johnstown. We stopped at a Subway for lunch, and were met there by Ted Leh and his family, including son Steven, who had been the youngest rider to complete the coast-to-coast ride last summer. Ted will ride out with us tomorrow as we head down the river to Schenectady.
After we ate, we rode a little farther up the hill to the Holiday Inn, our home for tonight. Unfortunately, they did not have the rooms ready until well after 3. The girl who seemed to be in charge was not at all helpful in getting us into our rooms, acting as if it was unreasonable for us to want to be in the rooms even as "early" as 3 p.m. We waited out in the parking lot for awhile.
Things seemed to start happening when we got our suitcases and started unpacking stuff in the lobby. I thought I could at least start working on my GPS data and pictures. Anyway service was not a priority here. Hopefully tomorrow night will be better.
Tomorrow we have a very short day, just a tad over 30 miles. I recall this stage as including lots of very nice bike paths and lots of river scenery.
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