uptempo trolley ride

 

Friends Bobbi B and Marty A do some routes for the club that leave from Village Park in Cranbury and follow the Trolley Line Trail (is that in West Windsor?) out and back; Marty makes sure to add a few miles so it's worth actually getting out the gear and packing up the bike. They lead it at a pace that;s comfortable for some of the less-fitness-obsessed club members (ahem!).

I had the idea of starting a ride ten minutes earlier, and going at a slightly faster pace on that same route, with the idea that if anybody was having trouble keeping up, they could ride at a more relaxed pace until Marty and Bobbi's ride caught up with them. I asked Marty and Bobbi about it, and they were agreeable. So I posted it.

I got two takers, which is plenty for this kind of ride.

At the start:

 

So, at about 8:50, off we went. Nancy was eager to go, and showed the pace from the start; Vinod and I stayed a bit back (I was still tired from the two days before). It was a great day, there was little traffic out, and few other users on the Trolley Path.

I'd downloaded the route without checking it, and we had a little GPS-wants-a-U-turn business at the ed of the Trolley Trail, but we got that sorted, and headed back to take the stop at the park in West Windsor. We were there about ten minutes, when Marty and Bobbi's ride came in.

 The Excellent Wife (TEW) had signed up for Marty and Bobbi's ride, and Bobbi got that great picture of the two of us, above.

I was confused about the route getting out of the park, but Nancy got us back on track. Marty had added miles to the route by going through a neighborhood in Plainsboro (I call these, "real-estate tours"). I was so set on getting back, I almost missed the turn, but Nancy pointed it out. It was a pleasant detour, and I may use it again.

I'm not sure if the "leave a few minutes earlier and go at a faster pace" thing worked on this ride, and I don't know if I'll do it again. But it was a pleasant day. 

spellbound ride, jim has some trouble.

 

Look, I know they're not for everybody... but I love the big, organized rides. I love seeing all the riders come out, I love seeing the variety of bikes*, I love overhearing the talk among the groups of riders who know on another (and trying to fill in the blanks about the inside jokes and unknown references they share), I love seeing the helpful volunteers. I love the booths from the bike shops and the other supporters (some are pretty unhinged; dd anybody stop at the investment team that had a booth? They seemed bored and ignored).

*Many of the bikes are very high-end, expensive bikes, with all the latest-and-greatest doodads on 'em. But there were some entry-level and midrange bikes (not everybody who comes out for this is strong, fit, and wealthy), and a few like mine: idiosyncratic bikes that suit the eccentricities of the riders. 

The Excellent Wife (TEW) had friends who were talking about doing rides associated with the Spellbound Century this year (it turned out they did not). She asked if I'd go, and I agreed; I planned to do the 47-mile ride, and she was to do the 25-mile ride.

Now, the day before, one of the garage-door openers quit. I'm an old, retired guy, so I had time... and I got another opener, and spent hours trying to get it mounted and working. It meant hours of up the ladder and down the ladder and up the ladder and down the ladder and up the ladder and down the ladder (partly because there was no conventional instruction manual; instead, there was a phone app with instructions that I found ambiguous and confusing). I woke on the day of the ride with tired legs.

 Still, off we went.

  

Above, TEW, lookin' good!

Different paces start at different times, and it's worthwhile waiting, because the local police manage the traffic for the riders until we're out of the busiest traffic in town (I'm sure drivers don't like it, but the ride supports local causes, and the police support is welcome).

I left with the riders for my distance, and went off at a pretty good clip. Despite the tired legs, I was riding well...

...until about mile fifteen, when I heard the PSHshshshsh of the air escaping my rear tire. I checked the tire, couldn't find the problem, changed the tube... and had it happen again about twenty feet later. I checked again; still couldn't find the problem in the tire. I changed the tube again (I always carry two tubes), turned a corner about 200 feet from the rest stop, and the tire went out again.

Well, between the tire problems and the tired legs, I was done; I called a sag for a ride back to the start. I had a number of offers of tubes, but I was done. 

I texted TEW, and we met after her ride.

 The tire problem I'd missed turned out to be a cut sidewall; if I'd seen it, I could have put a tire boot over it... but I didn't wee it until the next day.

But other than the tire and having sore legs, I liked this ride, and would do it again. It's blessedly flat, the support is great (pickle juice at the stops!), and we had a great day. 

 

forty miles

Pretty good one of me. That one, and the one below, by fellow Free Wheeler Bobbi B. The better-looking guy on the left is Albert.

 I've been singin' the blues about my poor physical condition; I let myself get out of shape over the past year-plus, and then I've been put on a number of medications - if Lance Armstrong was taking performance-enhancing drugs, then these are performance-diminishing drugs. I've been adjusting the dosages and administration times of the meds (I'll argue about this with the doctors later... yes, I've got multiple doctors now, and they're all young and hopeful and smart, but I'm going to live my life), and I've gotten to a point where the effects of the meds are less disabling. I've been riding a lot, and testing both my speed and my endurance.

 Club member Marty A posted a ride that was a longer version of the "Double Trolley" Ride he did a couple weeks ago. This one was to be a bit over thirty miles, and, with the four-and-a-bit mile ride from home to the start and back, I figured I could get forty miles in today, most of it with club members around to bail me out if I got in trouble (and The Excellent Wife [TEW] would be available to come rescue me if needs must). Forty miles is longer than I've gone in several months, since a ride with some of my faster friends ended with me winded, disappointed, and depressed.

I'll save you the anxiety and suspense: I did pretty well. 

We had eleven at the start at Village Park in Cranbury.

That one above of Marty is pretty good, don't you think?

 TEW, below, parked at the start, but didn't ride with us.

 The route goes out by road to the top of the trolley trail, loops around, comes back on the trolley trail, and returns to the park. 

 Marty does a good job of keeping to the pace, and, while the route is not quite as flat as an LP record, there are no demanding hills. I had a good time, and I like the people on this ride. 

We don't stop at a store of any kind on this one; instead, we stop at the West Windsor Community Park.

Marty added some miles to make this route longer than the last time, but I understand he's re-thinking his decision and will probably go back to the earlier route and distance. Whatever. This was a good ride for me today, and a sign that maybe my strength and stamina is improving. I'm glad it did it. (I'm glad I was able to do it!)