Scenic Schuylkill Century/Bike Philly Weekend
09-14-08, 02:33 PM
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Scenic Schuylkill Century/Bike Philly Weekend
Friday night I and my bike headed into Philadelphia for what promised to be a weekend of hard riding. Not only because Bicycle Club of Philadelphia's Scenic Schuylkill Century was a challenging course, but because I had to deal with a new fitting on the bike, and learn to use clipless pedals as well. Would I be able to finish the rides unscathed, and ride in Bike Philly the next morning? The heavy rains on Friday didn't dampen my enthusiasm, but it did mirror the concern I had in my heart. Would I have a deluge of problems on these rides?
I arrived at Chamounix Mansion Hostel in Fairmount Park about 11:00 PM, and was assigned a room with three other riders, John, Kevin, and David, all Clydesdales, who had driven up from Virginia for the rides. We soon formed a plan to leave at 7:00 AM the next morning, I leading the group. We settled to bed, they dreaming of their rides, and I having a nightmare about falling making a left turn in traffic from Leverington onto Umbria in Manayunk.
Next morning we headed off, I leading the pack through Fairmount Park, over the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, and on a roundabout trip to the ride start at Lloyd Hall, in the shadow of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A flat tire on John's road bike delayed us a few minutes.
After the repair and a slight wrong turn on my part, we reached the ride start. We let the mass start take place before we entered the stream of cyclists riding towards the Art Museum, in front of the "Rocky" steps, and onto West River Drive. Philadelphia closes West River Drive to motorized vehicles from 7-5 on weekends, so it was a wall of cyclists. Here's the start at Lloyd Hall:
At the Falls Bridge, cyclists had to face traffic as they headed into Manayunk.
Well before this point, I had been dropped, by agreement, by my hostel friends. So I, and my clipless and fit concerns, were riding solo. I wasn't bothered by the traffic in Manayunk any more than normal, although I became alarmed at how long it took me to get unclipped on the left foot as I approached one light. When I turned onto Leverington I got up and walked the hill and the left onto Umbria, and so avoided fulfilling my nightmare. Once on Umbria, I clipped in and pedaled up. And up. And up. Clipless pedals forced me to climb the hill as a whole because I knew if I stopped, I'd never get unclipped in time. My quads were screaming by the end. The downhill was fun, except that I was required to dismount at the bottom - it's a sharp left onto Shawmont, and six cyclists that morning had spilled on the wet gravel there.
The first rest stop was Cedar Grove Park, 13 miles out. Food and drink was inside the building. While I was inside, a fellow from Keswick Cyclery replaced the tube in my front tire, which had begun to get soft.
By here I had scaled back my plans from doing a metric century to the 38 mile route, going out to Fort Washington and back. The hills earlier in the ride had gotten to me, and I walked up a couple of quadbusters at the halfway point. As I turned around, I decided, since I wasn't going for a metric, I could treat the rest of the ride as just a test of the fit and clipless, and take the opportunity for photography as it arose. St. Peter's Lutheran, site of a Revolutionary war battle, was one such opportunity.
As I approached Manayunk, a volunteer on the ride passed me and asked if I was alright. He persisted in questioning me, and I suddenly realized I hadn't eaten in hours and was out of water. I didn't feel lightheaded - yet. Not wanting to either tempt fate or the climb onto Umbria from Shawmont, I chose to ride the flat Manayunk Canal Towpath, and stop at a place in town for food and water.
After food and drink, I rode back to the Falls Bridge, over to West River Drive, and towards the ride end. I can see the city skyline in the distance.
Soon enough the Art Museum came into view.
And before I knew it, I was at the BCP end of ride pizza party, walking around in my socks like half the other clipless riders.
Two of my hostel friends, David and Kevin, finished the 38 an hour before me, and they headed back up the hill to the hostel. John showed up shortly afterward, bushed from the metric century. He also left as I stayed for a massage. Then I too headed back to the hostel for a shower and dinner, reaching there just as some rain started to fall. The four of us went out to dinner, carbed up, and prepared for Bike Philly. I went to bed happy to have completed a long, hard ride without a clipless fall or an accident like my gashing my leg on my chainring.
I'll write about Bike Philly in a later post - I need to get the photos up on Flickr.
I arrived at Chamounix Mansion Hostel in Fairmount Park about 11:00 PM, and was assigned a room with three other riders, John, Kevin, and David, all Clydesdales, who had driven up from Virginia for the rides. We soon formed a plan to leave at 7:00 AM the next morning, I leading the group. We settled to bed, they dreaming of their rides, and I having a nightmare about falling making a left turn in traffic from Leverington onto Umbria in Manayunk.
Next morning we headed off, I leading the pack through Fairmount Park, over the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, and on a roundabout trip to the ride start at Lloyd Hall, in the shadow of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A flat tire on John's road bike delayed us a few minutes.
After the repair and a slight wrong turn on my part, we reached the ride start. We let the mass start take place before we entered the stream of cyclists riding towards the Art Museum, in front of the "Rocky" steps, and onto West River Drive. Philadelphia closes West River Drive to motorized vehicles from 7-5 on weekends, so it was a wall of cyclists. Here's the start at Lloyd Hall:
At the Falls Bridge, cyclists had to face traffic as they headed into Manayunk.
Well before this point, I had been dropped, by agreement, by my hostel friends. So I, and my clipless and fit concerns, were riding solo. I wasn't bothered by the traffic in Manayunk any more than normal, although I became alarmed at how long it took me to get unclipped on the left foot as I approached one light. When I turned onto Leverington I got up and walked the hill and the left onto Umbria, and so avoided fulfilling my nightmare. Once on Umbria, I clipped in and pedaled up. And up. And up. Clipless pedals forced me to climb the hill as a whole because I knew if I stopped, I'd never get unclipped in time. My quads were screaming by the end. The downhill was fun, except that I was required to dismount at the bottom - it's a sharp left onto Shawmont, and six cyclists that morning had spilled on the wet gravel there.
The first rest stop was Cedar Grove Park, 13 miles out. Food and drink was inside the building. While I was inside, a fellow from Keswick Cyclery replaced the tube in my front tire, which had begun to get soft.
By here I had scaled back my plans from doing a metric century to the 38 mile route, going out to Fort Washington and back. The hills earlier in the ride had gotten to me, and I walked up a couple of quadbusters at the halfway point. As I turned around, I decided, since I wasn't going for a metric, I could treat the rest of the ride as just a test of the fit and clipless, and take the opportunity for photography as it arose. St. Peter's Lutheran, site of a Revolutionary war battle, was one such opportunity.
As I approached Manayunk, a volunteer on the ride passed me and asked if I was alright. He persisted in questioning me, and I suddenly realized I hadn't eaten in hours and was out of water. I didn't feel lightheaded - yet. Not wanting to either tempt fate or the climb onto Umbria from Shawmont, I chose to ride the flat Manayunk Canal Towpath, and stop at a place in town for food and water.
After food and drink, I rode back to the Falls Bridge, over to West River Drive, and towards the ride end. I can see the city skyline in the distance.
Soon enough the Art Museum came into view.
And before I knew it, I was at the BCP end of ride pizza party, walking around in my socks like half the other clipless riders.
Two of my hostel friends, David and Kevin, finished the 38 an hour before me, and they headed back up the hill to the hostel. John showed up shortly afterward, bushed from the metric century. He also left as I stayed for a massage. Then I too headed back to the hostel for a shower and dinner, reaching there just as some rain started to fall. The four of us went out to dinner, carbed up, and prepared for Bike Philly. I went to bed happy to have completed a long, hard ride without a clipless fall or an accident like my gashing my leg on my chainring.
I'll write about Bike Philly in a later post - I need to get the photos up on Flickr.
09-14-08, 04:48 PM
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I took the 6:59 AM R2 train from Ridley Park to University City, and then rode to Lloyd Hall from via the South Street bridge and the Schuylkill River Trail. I started with the mass start at 8 AM. Within about 20 yards, a guy on what looked to be a poorly-maintained comfort bike almost swerved into me several times. I was tempted to tell him to hold his line, but (1) I didn't want to spoil someone's day 15 seconds into the ride, (2) I wasn't sure if he would know what I meant, and (3) I wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it even if he did. So I dropped back a few feet behind him until we got around to the other side of the Art Museum and onto West River Drive. Since West River Drive is 4 lanes wide and closed to vehicular traffic, it's easy for faster riders to pass slower riders, and for rides like this, it tends to let people sort themselves out into groups of similar riding abilities. I cruised the length of the Drive at about 19-20 MPH.
The first rest stop was less than 13 miles into the ride. I skipped that one, but I was definitely ready for a break by the time I arrived at the second rest stop, about 32.4 miles into the ride. At that point, I still hadn't completely made up my mind whether I was going to do the century route or the metric century. My previous longest ride was 67 miles, and I thought that bumping up from 67 to 100 might be too big of a jump, especially given that it was fairly hot and humid, and I was getting a bit sunburned from making the unwise decision not to apply sunscreen before I left. I decided to do the metric century--however, I also decided that I would ride the 15 or so miles home from Lloyd Hall instead of taking the train.
When I got to the Betzwood rest stop at mile 43, I had another decision to make. The return route on the cue sheet went through Valley Forge Park and up Old Eagle School Road. I had written through the park the previous Sunday, and climbed up Old Eagle School Road on another BCP ride on Labor Day, so I had some idea of what the hills were like. Since I was planning to ride further than I had in a single day in the past, and knowing that I still had over 30 miles to ride, I decided to take the alternate, relatively flat route back via the Schuylkill River Trail.
I got back to Lloyd Hall with a total of 69 miles on my odometer, and an average speed of 14.9. I had a couple slices of pizza, got a massage, refilled my water bottles, and then hit the road for home. I got home slightly after 2 PM with a total mileage of 84 miles and 2250 total feet of climbing.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the ride. I feel like I'm in pretty good shape for the much-flatter MS 150 City-to-Shore that's coming up in two weeks.
I did not do the Bike Philly ride today, so I'm eager to hear the Historian's impressions.
Last edited by Febs; 09-14-08 at 05:29 PM.
09-14-08, 05:02 PM
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Sunday morning was clear and warm. I decided to drive to the start of Bike Philly, instead of riding as I wished, because of time - I hadn't brought lights, sunrise wasn't until 6:45 AM, I needed to pick up my rider information, and I didn't know how strict the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, the event organizer, was about enforcing their 7:45 AM deadline for appearing at the ride. So I punted and drove to the parking lot at Lloyd Hall, about a half mile from the ride start at Eakins Oval in front of the Art Museum. When I arrived at the Art Museum, the sun was rising over the City of Brotherly Love, and the BCGP was hard at work setting up.
Already crowds were gathering. After all, how often does a city of a million and a half people shut down some of its major roads for cyclists?
The ride drew from all levels, styles, and seriousness of cyclists, from hard-core racers with aerobars to kids on Huffys, from club riders to commuters, to some folks who just seemed bent on conversation.
Oh, and there was a representative of the Clydesdale/Athena forum, too.
At a few minutes before 8:00 AM, the PA system played a snatch of "Hail to the Chief" as Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter took the podium, said a few words, and then turned the microphone over to the ride organizers. Both Mayor Nutter and his wife are cyclists. That morning, he announced that Philadelphia was to install 14,000 bike racks over the next several months to help promote bike commuting in the city. Meanwhile, the crowd waited to begin the ride.
And then, as the theme song from "Rocky" blared, the ride began. A sea of cyclists began to slowly move around the Eakins Oval and down the Parkway to City Hall.
The streets were open for cyclists, allowing a taste of what a car-free city might be like.
More in the next post.....
Already crowds were gathering. After all, how often does a city of a million and a half people shut down some of its major roads for cyclists?
The ride drew from all levels, styles, and seriousness of cyclists, from hard-core racers with aerobars to kids on Huffys, from club riders to commuters, to some folks who just seemed bent on conversation.
Oh, and there was a representative of the Clydesdale/Athena forum, too.
At a few minutes before 8:00 AM, the PA system played a snatch of "Hail to the Chief" as Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter took the podium, said a few words, and then turned the microphone over to the ride organizers. Both Mayor Nutter and his wife are cyclists. That morning, he announced that Philadelphia was to install 14,000 bike racks over the next several months to help promote bike commuting in the city. Meanwhile, the crowd waited to begin the ride.
And then, as the theme song from "Rocky" blared, the ride began. A sea of cyclists began to slowly move around the Eakins Oval and down the Parkway to City Hall.
The streets were open for cyclists, allowing a taste of what a car-free city might be like.
More in the next post.....
09-14-08, 06:02 PM
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Bike Philly continued......
I purposely stayed out of the mass start, leaving about five minutes later. I knew mass starts on really large rides can be hairy, and I didn't want to test my clipping and unclipping while wobbling at 4 MPH. Besides, I wanted to get photos. A volunteer politely asked me to head out, probably because the police wanted to reopen streets in the downtown. So I rode at the back of the pack at 5 MPH for a mile or two.
To avoid causing problems for the volunteers on the ride, I restricted my photography to rest stops the remainder of the ride.
We were routed through the downtown and into Fairmount Park, the ten mile riders being split off from the other groups. I went left with the 20, 35, and 50 mile packs. We crossed over onto the West River Drive, then back across the river over the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, and on a loop through the park.
Then back across the river on the Strawberry Mansion Bridge. At this point the 20 mile group branched off from the 35 and 50, and I went with them. I'd had enough of hills by then, and I was having trouble with my right cleat. Soon enough I saw the Art Museum across the river, and then I was picking up my t-shirt for completing the ride. And getting food and drink as well.
After hanging out for an hour, I pedaled back to my car, and drove home full of thoughts about my cycling and the nature of events such as Bike Philly.
To get the personal out of the way, I got through both rides this weekend without a clipless fall. That said, I had problems using the pedals. I have a hard time getting in on the right. And I had a hard time convincing myself I really need to go clipless. The only benefit I discovered this weekend was that on a hard climb I might have some slight advantage being clipped in, but even that might be simply a matter of being forced to finish the climb because I wouldn't be able to clip out safely. I suppose being forced to exert myself beyond the so-called comfort zone is a benefit, but that's not what clipless is being sold, and oversold, for. There's a lot to be said for being able to put a foot down anywhere, anytime, for any reason. Still, I don't want to dismiss it without more testing, so I'm clipped for now.
Cadence's refitting of my bike held up very well. On the hilly ride on Saturday, I had some back pain, but not in the usual place. Previously I had pain in the upper right shoulder and back. Now it's on the left side of my back and ribs, and milder than before. Raising the saddle brought me into a more 'stretched' posture, and the soreness I'm feeling on the left is probably my 'shorter' side being stretched out. This is all to the good, and I expect as I get used to the fit, it will go away.
I was disappointed with my hill-climbing. A summer of flat riding, as well as six weeks off with a broken rib, has hurt what little conditioning I had. I think I'll be OK on the MS City to Shore in two weeks, for that's a flat ride.
Speaking of hurt, my hunt for a new saddle begins tomorrow. My gel saddle has over three thousand miles on it, and it hasn't worn well.
My thoughts about Bike Philly are mixed. It was a wonderful event, wonderfully run. However, what sort of message does an event that shuts down city streets for cyclists send? I've ridden in Philadelphia. It's a very bike friendly city. While it's nice not to have auto traffic to deal with, I've ridden in traffic with some success. Bikes belong on the roads all the time, not just when the dangerous cars are gone. Every day is Bike Philly if you want it to be.
I rode with a family down the Ben Franklin Parkway. The mother was marveling at the flags lining the road. "I never get to see these." The unspoken part of the sentence was "...with the cars around." Curiously enough, I've ridden the same road with Neil Fein, back in November and December, and we've seen those same flags. The road wasn't blocked off for us.
In fact, I felt more comfortable dealing with auto traffic than I did at times on Bike Philly. Cars are often more predictable than novice or 'Sunday cyclists'. The last stretch of West River Drive was very awkward, as I had to dodge kids weaving all over the road. In Fairmount Park I was stopped at the side of the road drinking, and someone walked his bike into my rear wheel. "Sorry",he said, "I wasn't looking." He wasn't looking later, as I passed him and his kid as they weaved back and forth across the lane. He did turn as I shouted "on your right" to him - I don't normally pass on the right, but I had to get through where I could.
Still, despite these concerns, which are related to the bigger problem of defining what bicycle advocacy is, Bike Philly was a great event, and I look forward to next year's big cycling weekend in Philadelphia.
I purposely stayed out of the mass start, leaving about five minutes later. I knew mass starts on really large rides can be hairy, and I didn't want to test my clipping and unclipping while wobbling at 4 MPH. Besides, I wanted to get photos. A volunteer politely asked me to head out, probably because the police wanted to reopen streets in the downtown. So I rode at the back of the pack at 5 MPH for a mile or two.
To avoid causing problems for the volunteers on the ride, I restricted my photography to rest stops the remainder of the ride.
We were routed through the downtown and into Fairmount Park, the ten mile riders being split off from the other groups. I went left with the 20, 35, and 50 mile packs. We crossed over onto the West River Drive, then back across the river over the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, and on a loop through the park.
Then back across the river on the Strawberry Mansion Bridge. At this point the 20 mile group branched off from the 35 and 50, and I went with them. I'd had enough of hills by then, and I was having trouble with my right cleat. Soon enough I saw the Art Museum across the river, and then I was picking up my t-shirt for completing the ride. And getting food and drink as well.
After hanging out for an hour, I pedaled back to my car, and drove home full of thoughts about my cycling and the nature of events such as Bike Philly.
To get the personal out of the way, I got through both rides this weekend without a clipless fall. That said, I had problems using the pedals. I have a hard time getting in on the right. And I had a hard time convincing myself I really need to go clipless. The only benefit I discovered this weekend was that on a hard climb I might have some slight advantage being clipped in, but even that might be simply a matter of being forced to finish the climb because I wouldn't be able to clip out safely. I suppose being forced to exert myself beyond the so-called comfort zone is a benefit, but that's not what clipless is being sold, and oversold, for. There's a lot to be said for being able to put a foot down anywhere, anytime, for any reason. Still, I don't want to dismiss it without more testing, so I'm clipped for now.
Cadence's refitting of my bike held up very well. On the hilly ride on Saturday, I had some back pain, but not in the usual place. Previously I had pain in the upper right shoulder and back. Now it's on the left side of my back and ribs, and milder than before. Raising the saddle brought me into a more 'stretched' posture, and the soreness I'm feeling on the left is probably my 'shorter' side being stretched out. This is all to the good, and I expect as I get used to the fit, it will go away.
I was disappointed with my hill-climbing. A summer of flat riding, as well as six weeks off with a broken rib, has hurt what little conditioning I had. I think I'll be OK on the MS City to Shore in two weeks, for that's a flat ride.
Speaking of hurt, my hunt for a new saddle begins tomorrow. My gel saddle has over three thousand miles on it, and it hasn't worn well.
My thoughts about Bike Philly are mixed. It was a wonderful event, wonderfully run. However, what sort of message does an event that shuts down city streets for cyclists send? I've ridden in Philadelphia. It's a very bike friendly city. While it's nice not to have auto traffic to deal with, I've ridden in traffic with some success. Bikes belong on the roads all the time, not just when the dangerous cars are gone. Every day is Bike Philly if you want it to be.
I rode with a family down the Ben Franklin Parkway. The mother was marveling at the flags lining the road. "I never get to see these." The unspoken part of the sentence was "...with the cars around." Curiously enough, I've ridden the same road with Neil Fein, back in November and December, and we've seen those same flags. The road wasn't blocked off for us.
In fact, I felt more comfortable dealing with auto traffic than I did at times on Bike Philly. Cars are often more predictable than novice or 'Sunday cyclists'. The last stretch of West River Drive was very awkward, as I had to dodge kids weaving all over the road. In Fairmount Park I was stopped at the side of the road drinking, and someone walked his bike into my rear wheel. "Sorry",he said, "I wasn't looking." He wasn't looking later, as I passed him and his kid as they weaved back and forth across the lane. He did turn as I shouted "on your right" to him - I don't normally pass on the right, but I had to get through where I could.
Still, despite these concerns, which are related to the bigger problem of defining what bicycle advocacy is, Bike Philly was a great event, and I look forward to next year's big cycling weekend in Philadelphia.
09-14-08, 06:21 PM
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More photos from the Scenic Schuylkill Century:
The 'Schuylkill Navy' is out!
Mural along the Manayunk Towpath:
The refreshment area at the ride start. Volunteers wear tie-dyed t shirts.
Registration area, with the Art Museum in the distance.
Another photo of the ride start:
The 'Schuylkill Navy' is out!
Mural along the Manayunk Towpath:
The refreshment area at the ride start. Volunteers wear tie-dyed t shirts.
Registration area, with the Art Museum in the distance.
Another photo of the ride start:
09-14-08, 06:38 PM
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Hey- Great Report!!! Just the bees 2 cents and hey what do i know?...but have you asked at a bike shop if they would tell you how loose you cauld safely loosen your cleat? I don't think it should be too loose- but perhaps it would be safe to loosen it a bit more so it is easier for you to clip out??
09-14-08, 06:44 PM
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Hey- Great Report!!! Just the bees 2 cents and hey what do i know?...but have you asked at a bike shop if they would tell you how loose you cauld safely loosen your cleat? I don't think it should be too loose- but perhaps it would be safe to loosen it a bit more so it is easier for you to clip out??
Your two cents are always welcome, Ms. B.
09-14-08, 07:14 PM
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More from Bike Philly:
The obligatory folder snap. Ever since Neil F. went foldie, I've been interested in them, and I'll probably go out of my way to get photos of them when I can.
Folder at dawn.
Trophy Bikes brought their bike sound system:
And as the sun rose, they headed toward the Eakins Oval.
This guy and his ride make me long for a trike. We spoke for a few minutes about my getting one.
Another view of the post-ride chaos. Bikes littered the Oval.
The obligatory folder snap. Ever since Neil F. went foldie, I've been interested in them, and I'll probably go out of my way to get photos of them when I can.
Folder at dawn.
Trophy Bikes brought their bike sound system:
And as the sun rose, they headed toward the Eakins Oval.
This guy and his ride make me long for a trike. We spoke for a few minutes about my getting one.
Another view of the post-ride chaos. Bikes littered the Oval.
09-14-08, 07:23 PM
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Great Report and pix. I worked in East Falls back in the late 90s and your pix brought back some memories of my travels in that area. I would be a little uncomfortable riding amongst all the novices especially just getting used to clipless. I actually have mountain bike pedals on my road bike. I have a pair of Nike mountain shoes. I was told they are way more comfortable and easier to get in and out of the pedals then normal road pedals and shoes. The pedals are the economical SPD verity. I also have a mountain bike also so I didn't have to buy a second pair of shoes. I still get back pain sometimes on the longer hill climbs. I have been doing some crunches and I think they are called PLANKS to strengthen my core. I rest on my elbows keeping my midsection straight for about 30 seconds and then on each side on 1 elbow. It takes some getting used to but I have definitely seen a difference in the back pain area.
Last edited by BigUgly; 09-16-08 at 08:35 AM.
09-15-08, 02:05 AM
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One unexpected plus of the weekend was my discovery of the Chamounix Mansion Hostel. For 23 bucks I have a great place to stay on an overnight tour from my home - I'm about 32 miles from Philadelphia. Ride down on a Saturday, ride in Fairmount Park, ride to the hostel, spend the night, ride home. I'll have to try it in October, after my September rides are done.
https://www.philahostel.org/
The hostel building is a lovely nineteenth century mansion and carriage house.
https://www.philahostel.org/
The hostel building is a lovely nineteenth century mansion and carriage house.
09-15-08, 05:52 AM
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Very nice pictures and excellent work, I also like how your getting your inner Stormcrowe on . Your roadification is well underway!
. Your roadification is well underway!
09-15-08, 08:25 AM
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I took the 6:59 AM R2 train from Ridley Park to University City, and then rode to Lloyd Hall from via the South Street bridge and the Schuylkill River Trail. I started with the mass start at 8 AM. Within about 20 yards, a guy on what looked to be a poorly-maintained comfort bike almost swerved into me several times. I was tempted to tell him to hold his line, but (1) I didn't want to spoil someone's day 15 seconds into the ride, (2) I wasn't sure if he would know what I meant, and (3) I wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it even if he did. So I dropped back a few feet behind him until we got around to the other side of the Art Museum and onto West River Drive. Since West River Drive is 4 lanes wide and closed to vehicular traffic, it's easy for faster riders to pass slower riders, and for rides like this, it tends to let people sort themselves out into groups of similar riding abilities. I cruised the length of the Drive at about 19-20 MPH.
The first rest stop was less than 13 miles into the ride. I skipped that one, but I was definitely ready for a break by the time I arrived at the second rest stop, about 32.4 miles into the ride. At that point, I still hadn't completely made up my mind whether I was going to do the century route or the metric century. My previous longest ride was 67 miles, and I thought that bumping up from 67 to 100 might be too big of a jump, especially given that it was fairly hot and humid, and I was getting a bit sunburned from making the unwise decision not to apply sunscreen before I left. I decided to do the metric century--however, I also decided that I would ride the 15 or so miles home from Lloyd Hall instead of taking the train.
When I got to the Betzwood rest stop at mile 43, I had another decision to make. The return route on the cue sheet went through Valley Forge Park and up Old Eagle School Road. I had written through the park the previous Sunday, and climbed up Old Eagle School Road on another BCP ride on Labor Day, so I had some idea of what the hills were like. Since I was planning to ride further than I had in a single day in the past, and knowing that I still had over 30 miles to ride, I decided to take the alternate, relatively flat route back via the Schuylkill River Trail.
I got back to Lloyd Hall with a total of 69 miles on my odometer, and an average speed of 14.9. I had a couple slices of pizza, got a massage, refilled my water bottles, and then hit the road for home. I got home slightly after 2 PM with a total mileage of 84 miles and 2250 total feet of climbing.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the ride. I feel like I'm in pretty good shape for the much-flatter MS 150 City-to-Shore that's coming up in two weeks.
I did not do the Bike Philly ride today, so I'm eager to hear the Historian's impressions.
I skipped the mass start on the BCP ride to avoid the riders who cannot hold a line. I didn't need to deal with them and clipless at the same time.
09-15-08, 11:37 PM
#16
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I met the photographer later, not realizing he'd taken two photos of me. Travis runs an organization called BikeAble, helping to "put people on pedals" despite their disabilities. We spoke about my getting a trike at some point.
09-16-08, 09:19 AM
#17
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The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia used one of my photos for their blog posting on the ride. I'm now a published photographer!
https://bcgp.blogspot.com/2008/09/bik...8-success.html
https://bcgp.blogspot.com/2008/09/bik...8-success.html
09-16-08, 03:44 PM
#18
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Location: Toronto (again) Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,931
Bikes: Old Bike: 1975 Raleigh Delta, New Bike: 2004 Norco Bushpilot
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The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia used one of my photos for their blog posting on the ride. I'm now a published photographer!
https://bcgp.blogspot.com/2008/09/bik...8-success.html
https://bcgp.blogspot.com/2008/09/bik...8-success.html
Now with that out of the way, next you need to make sure that all images posted online, either include a copyright notice on or beside the image. I put a notice in the image itself, if you want to remove that notice, then you need to talk to me, if your a company, then better bring the chequebook. Now if people were in the photo, you can contact them, and get releases signed. Of course if it's a commercial use, and the company is rather generous with cash, you can spread the wealth a little. Trying to get a release is one thing, trying to get a release with $250 in your pocket, is easier.
