Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Recent Rides: Mt. Airy and the Greenbelt
We're trying to get in as many rides as we can before the big departure so that we can prepare ourselves for the riding and also to test items like the trailer and new clothing. That's right, thanks to my brother we have a BOB trailer for our bike, and thanks to my mother we have a pirate flag to make it visible.
Our first test trip was to and from the Mt. Airy bike shop where we bought the Pino in the first place. Kyle needed to buy a few things and we wanted to talk to them about my foot problems. We lucked out and talked to a super friendly guy who also rides recumbent and has gone through foot hot spots, and he suggested a pair of cycling sandals that might help. I had wanted sandals ever since Kyle got his pair of Keen commutes, so after a test ride and some confusion about sizes I decided to buy Shimano SPD sandals (SH-SD60B). They're like a standard pair of velcro sandals, except the sole is inflexible and has the same clips as my cycling shoes. So far the sandals have worked well. I haven't gotten hot spots while wearing them (fingers crossed) though the designs in the footbed can be annoying during long rides. Overall, however, I think they were a great purchase, especially since we're riding cross-country during the summer.
If only getting to the shop in the first place had been so simple. Kyle mapped out a route that should have been 15 miles each way. Unfortunately, one of the roads on Googlemaps didn't actually exist, so by the time we reached the shop we had already gone nearly 30 miles. Usually I would have been happy for the additional distance, especially since I wanted to make up for skipping the 51 mile Lancaster Farmland Trust ride that day (because of travel and timing issues; we certainly love covered bridges and farmland). By the time we neared the shop, however, I was starving and being burnt to a crisp. Note to self: no matter what the hurried husband says, there is always time to apply sunscreen. When we finally stopped and I put on sunscreen the damage was done. I had certainly suffered bad sunburn before, but I'd never had the sensation of emanating heat for days. I couldn't even bear to touch my legs together. I did, however, get to use a leaf from the aloe plant that Kyle's mother gave me, which was pretty neat.
Other than the unexpected detour and the seering heat, the ride went very well. We had to deal with a number of narrow or nonexistent shoulders, which made Kyle vow to leave Maryland, but we didn't encounter any major problems. We could feel the weight of the trailer but only during steep climbs and head winds (then again, it wasn't even half-full). We enjoyed ourselves and still felt pretty good at the end of the ride.
Which was a good thing, since the next day we drove to Harrisburg to ride the Greenbelt with Kyle's father, brother, uncles, and cousins. We also convinced our friend Emily to come along, who had just arrived in Frederick for the summer. The Greenbelt ride, which was part road and part trail, took us through neighborhoods, along the water, and into forests. It was much more scenic and relaxing than the Scranton ride, that's for sure. We got to see a cricket game, river rescue training, and a lot of greenery and bridges.
I also liked that we were riding the Greenbelt in order to benefit the Greenbelt; that's good charity ride logic. I really wish the ride had been longer than 20 miles, but other than that I have no complaints.
Scratch that, I have one complaint: I am tired of people assuming that I do little or no work in the front of the bike. I heard so many cracks like "You getting a free ride up there?" and "Don't show my wife that bike" and "That looks like a sweet deal for you" and while I laughed I was not amused. Yes, riding in the back is more difficult overall since you have to steer, but I always have to pedal the same speed and at times I'm pedaling harder (Steep hills are becoming my thing; I'm weird). Even Kyle got annoyed on my behalf, and offered to make me an "Actually I'm working just as hard" t-shirt.
Otherwise it was an awesome day. After being waved across the finish line by enthusiastic volunteers with bubbles and flags, we picked up our Greenbelt t-shirts and enjoyed hotdogs in the shade. They also supplied Vitamin Water, which I had previously never tried. The liquid itself was ok, but the packaging was amazing. The label told me that I was drinking "dragonfruit" that helped Agnes bench press llamas. Good stuff. At the cars we had more food thanks to Kyle's uncle, and then we headed over to an outdoors store to buy me a pair of Marmot rain pants. One less thing on the list (which is still disturbingly long considering that we leave in about a week). But hey, yay for bicycling, and for a ride that was enjoyable and scenic and taken at a steady but not exhausting pace. I hope our trip will be the same.
| posted at: 06:11 |
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