Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Carusoswi
07-13-08, 01:21 AM
I've been quite busy working this summer and have neglected my riding a bit, but, today (well, yesterday, Saturday), I decided on a whim to take a ride. I pumped up my tires, put my camera bag on my back, and off I went, traversing some of my favorite routes.
Four hours later, I finished what turned out to be a 52 mile ride with one stop at Bull's Island in NJ, and another to shoot pictures of the locomotive in action in New Hope, PA.
It felt great to be making a longer ride, although towards the end, my legs were starting to cramp up a bit.
I didn't drink any fluids for the first couple of hours (during which I covered 30 miles). Then, I took around a 30 minute break at Bull's Island during which I drank two bottles of water. I made a point of not hurrying on the return trip, stopping in New Hope, and later at a Rita's for a large Misto (mmmm.....). I stopped at the Rita's because I really needed to take a break. It was hot, and I felt like I needed something cold and wet. The Rita's and the break really hit the spot.
Except for the mild cramping that occurred over the last four miles, I felt fine. When I got home, I crawled under a blanket to keep warm (just to make certain I didn't really cramp up), took a half hour nap, and was good as new.
I lugged my camera gear in a back pack style bag that I purchased with bike riding in mind. Fully loaded (as it was today), it weighs around five pounds. I should look into a similar, but much smaller bag that just carries my cam and one lens. The camera with lens weighs a couple of pounds, probably.
All in all, though, I was pleased that I could still make that distance with relative ease when not being really in good riding shape, and I have not done the math, but it appears that my rolling average speed was respectable, and my route took me across the length of Rt 232, which has a number of steep hills (steep for around here), and also route 202, that also has some long steep inclines.
. . . have to do it again.
Caruso
Four hours later, I finished what turned out to be a 52 mile ride with one stop at Bull's Island in NJ, and another to shoot pictures of the locomotive in action in New Hope, PA.
It felt great to be making a longer ride, although towards the end, my legs were starting to cramp up a bit.
I didn't drink any fluids for the first couple of hours (during which I covered 30 miles). Then, I took around a 30 minute break at Bull's Island during which I drank two bottles of water. I made a point of not hurrying on the return trip, stopping in New Hope, and later at a Rita's for a large Misto (mmmm.....). I stopped at the Rita's because I really needed to take a break. It was hot, and I felt like I needed something cold and wet. The Rita's and the break really hit the spot.
Except for the mild cramping that occurred over the last four miles, I felt fine. When I got home, I crawled under a blanket to keep warm (just to make certain I didn't really cramp up), took a half hour nap, and was good as new.
I lugged my camera gear in a back pack style bag that I purchased with bike riding in mind. Fully loaded (as it was today), it weighs around five pounds. I should look into a similar, but much smaller bag that just carries my cam and one lens. The camera with lens weighs a couple of pounds, probably.
All in all, though, I was pleased that I could still make that distance with relative ease when not being really in good riding shape, and I have not done the math, but it appears that my rolling average speed was respectable, and my route took me across the length of Rt 232, which has a number of steep hills (steep for around here), and also route 202, that also has some long steep inclines.
. . . have to do it again.
Caruso