Group Ride

[ellbiddy]

I guess I'm the first with energy to write this up. I left my house a bit before 6 am and the weather was somewhere near dismal. It was in the high 30's and the wind was monstrous.

I got there around 7:20 and got my t-shirt and coffee and met up with dnap, chainsawman, pooriggy, and stb222. That was our mtbnj posse. We shot the shit a bit and then rolled out. We leave the park and get ushered by officials to "turn right" so we start pedaling and pedaling and there are strangely no turns, we check the cue sheet and we should already passed one of the 6 bridges so we turn around. As we're backtracking, we ran into another guy heading the way we were coming from so we all assumed that we were right in the first place......long story short 40 miles later we were out on some crazy highway. As expected we were way off course 😉. We turn around but the rest of our group isn't there now we're missing 2 out of 5, we hoped for the best and assumed they realized we were going the wrong way earlier than us. So we made the best of it and pedaled around. We got to the 50 mile check point and met up with manny. Finished up the ride and chowed down. I didn't see the other 2 at their car so I hung out a bit and eventually did a lap in the car to make sure everyone was okay and they were!

So 7 MTBNJers that I met, 52 miles, 3/6 covered bridges later we were all in one piece. The weather held out after all, but my feet were a bit cold. Overall had a fun time!

Check out how off course we were:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16627097

The bits where we were on course were fun and we found some of our own hills.

 

[pooriggy]

long story short 40 miles later we were out on some crazy highway.

Its a good thing we called the ride support # on the cue sheet our we may have ended up in Ohio. I blame Manny.
The weather held out and as Leo said we managed to get in 3 bridges. Good to see some MTBNJ peeps. Here is how it started.
stb22, chainsaw, dnap, ellbiddy

Further down the road. Note Manny taking credit for gettin us lost.

 

[Dusty the Whale]

no worries

Leo checked up on us we had 5-6miles left...NO F'n way were we gonna take a ride back to the lot...sorry. We got split but as long as we all had a good time who cares, just like my #1 favorite group Milli Vanilli used to say "blame it on the rain". dana warms up like a '68 VW bug I didn't warn ya'll. we had a blast it was mos def a toughness test and holly shit the food at all the rest stops was F'n awesome they had Homemade everything. I'll post some pics tomorrow. it was a good time.

 

[Cyclopath]

You guys that stayed home eating Oreos because of the forecast should just smack yourselves in the head with your bike shoes. It was a perfect day.

I left my house at 5:30 and picked up the Crazy Asian in Flemington at 7. He took the train out to Raritan on Saturday and rode until it got dark. He took the first lodging he could find near Flemmington... The Traveler Inn flea bag motel. Sad for him he didn't realize the Hampton Inn was 1/2 mile down the road.😛

We registered and were gearing up as the mighty orange and blue rolled out of the lot in a slight drizzle. Liong chose to ride his single speed Intense Spider when I had a perfectly good, refurbished 35lb Raleigh road bike for him to borrow. Go figure.

A few miles into the ride, I followed an arrow that signaled right at a three way fork. I took the rightest right and about three miles later while descending a very, very steep road along a gorge, I came upon a rider who was waking his bike up the hill grumbling that the bridge was out and we missed the turn. Damn! I caught up with Liong, Dnap and Chainsaw at the second rest stop. Liong says my extra miles were bad Karma payment for dropping him, I say they were good Karma payment for the drizzle stopping before 9am and not returning until the last few miles.

Overall, the(real)63 mile route was chock full of climbing. Nothing impossible, but like a constant toothache, enough to wear you down. Weather was surprisingly good, overcast and cool and most of all dry except for a brief drizzle that evaporated as soon as it fell.

I'm glad I did it and glad Liong wasn't scared away(like some other friends of mine🙄) by the prospect of rain, or I probably would not have made the trip. Excellent work by all the mtbnj.com riders!

 

[stb222]

Leo checked up on us we had 5-6miles left...NO F'n way were we gonna take a ride back to the lot...sorry. We got split but as long as we all had a good time who cares, just like my #1 favorite group Milli Vanilli used to say "blame it on the rain". dana warms up like a '68 VW bug I didn't warn ya'll. we had a blast it was mos def a toughness test and holly shit the food at all the rest stops was F'n awesome they had Homemade everything. I'll post some pics tomorrow. it was a good time.

how the hell did you guys get back on course?

 

[soundz]

you guys need iphones 😀

 

[ellbiddy]

Only some of us had phones, luckily those without split with those with :cry: Still had a great time, little bummed we missed some of the terrain, but I had a good time!

 

[Robson]

I'm glad I did it and glad Liong wasn't scared away(like some other friends of mine🙄) by the prospect of rain, or I probably would not have made the trip. Excellent work by all the mtbnj.com riders!

Well...prospect of driving two hours one way didn't sit well with me since rain was coming down steady all morning here...and if I want 63 miles ride or so I go to Battery park and back😉 No need to haul myself to PA unless weather is nice.

I'm glad you enjoyed it🙂

 

[ellbiddy]

Well...prospect of driving two hours one way didn't sit well with me since rain was coming down steady all morning here...and if I want 63 miles ride or so I go to Battery park and back😉 No need to haul myself to PA unless weather is nice.

I'm glad you enjoyed it🙂

It was an adventure!

 

[Cyclopath]

Well...prospect of driving two hours one way didn't sit well with me since rain was coming down steady all morning here...and if I want 63 miles ride or so I go to Battery park and back😉 No need to haul myself to PA unless weather is nice.

I'm glad you enjoyed it🙂

Was I talking about you? I didn't name any names.😀
We did miss you though. Next time, OK?

 

[Cyclopath]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention... there was some brutal wind out there. I really hated it when it was a head wind while climbing. Then the head wind while descending just wasn't fair. I mean, if you climbed it you earned a good fast downhill! Then there were the headwinds in the flats that made it feel like a good climb! Then there were the cross winds that had your wheels slipping across the road under you.🙄 But all those winds made the roads a bunch more dry than they would have been otherwise.

Man, you guys that can't stand road riding haven't given it a chance outside of very urban areas. 63+ miles and I don't think I was passed by more than 2 dozen cars. The views were really nice and leaf color could only be more awesome if it were lit by sunny skies. There was some really cool and very quaint architecture and beautiful streams and woods and on and on.

Point is it's not so bad out there. Do yourself a favor and get to some of the more suburban and rural areas of Jersey and get a taste for some nice riding.

 

[THATmanMANNY]

Further down the road. Note Manny taking credit for gettin us lost.

You must have me confused with the overdressed, 1.00 coefficient of drag, covered bridges overgeared SS champ. BTW that is a horrible picture of a covered bridge. That's what you get for flagging down a rider for a pic.

how the hell did you guys get back on course?

first, how the hell did you guys get lost? :rofl:



Well, I was really dreading going. My gf was out & my new ride broke. I had to bring the knobby tired SS. It was pouring at my house and slept little. I left my house at the last possible minute and got there 10 before 9. Proceeded to suit up and got stiffed when I tried to get a shirt reasoning with the man how half the ppl didn't show up and you would lighten up my rainy ride if you gave me a shirt eventhough I missed the reg deadline for a shirt. He explained to me that they sell for $10 on that table and that every year they sell out and that they sell out of even the past years. :hmmm: That bastard. I don't want your corny ginormous bridge on my chest anyways. That bastard. First 10 miles or so I hated my life. I didn't think I was going to see a single soul but then at the first stop me and this guy got to chatting and I rode with him to the next stop and that's where those boys were waiting for my awesomeness. I joined them for the rest of the ride and was dropped on the hills. At times I was creeping and at times I didn't even feel like I was moving. SS'ing sucked monkey nuts. The food was good and lots of it at the stops and base. The pulled beef was great and I carried out some desserts. Thankfully, I saw some familiar faces or else I think I would have rode myself right into the Delaware 😀


EDIT: It was pretty damn hilly on the "course" 😉 Lots of gradual hills on after another and a handfull of steep ones. I picked up the other cue sheets cause I hope to return on my own. The colored coded arrows on the road should last a while (there were faded ones from years past too) if anyone wants to hit it on their own.

 

[stb222]

I joined them for the rest of the ride and was dropped on the hills. At times I was creeping and at times I didn't even feel like I was moving. SS'ing sucked monkey nuts. The food was good and lots of it at the stops and base. The pulled beef was great and I carried out some desserts. Thankfully, I saw some familiar faces or else I think I would have rode myself right into the Delaware 😀

Who knows how we got lost, we missed the first turned, so we were f'ed from the start.

I have to note that a guy on a hybrid passed manny on one of the hills, I was emabarrsed for him 😀. Also you were weighed down by the 8 layers you had on. When we were waiting for you after one of the climbs, I thought you may have caught fire from over heating.

Good times with Leo and Iggy even though we were way of course. When I called ride support, the guy said "amazingly off route". The wind was nasty when we turned around, however I noted that Leo's is an excellent wind blocker. However on our way back to the route we did climb on nasty little hill out of carversville, which I will probably add to my routes around this area.

After I left, I drove up Uhlerstown Hill Road to see if it was worth some hype I read online. Holy hell! It is right at the fenchtown bridge on the pA side. When you are driving up to it, it looks like a cliff with trees on it. You drive right up to the base (there happens to be a covered bridge here) and then you make a sharp right. At the bottom of the climb there is a sign that says "dangerous road head - closed between Dec and April" What! The road turns into a one lane road about 10 - 12' wide and climbs across the grade and then makes a sharp left straight up the hill. The turn is literally on a cliff and has no guiderail :scared: This has def made my list to climb sometime soon....

 

[ellbiddy]

It's my manly shoulders!

 

[THATmanMANNY]

I have to note that a guy on a hybrid passed manny on one of the hills, I was emabarrsed for him 😀

damn I thought we all agreed we never witnessed that....? 🙁
that was when I wasn't moving almost

 

[pooriggy]

I picked up the other cue sheets cause I hope to return on my own. The colored coded arrows on the road should last a while (there were faded ones from years past too) if anyone wants to hit it on their own.

I am thinking about going back to get it right this Thurs. or Friday which ever day looks better weather wise. Looking to do a morning run. Anyone else want to blow off work?

 

[stoked]

I am thinking about going back to get it right this Thurs. or Friday which ever day looks better weather wise. Looking to do a morning run. Anyone else want to blow off work?

I am interested if you can make it a weekend. Sat or sunday as long as no rain. I could deal w/ cold but not cold and rain :cry:

 

[pooriggy]

no can do weekends, I've been awol last couple weekends and have missed kids events. one more and i"ll be in the dog house for sure.😱

 

[Dusty the Whale]

It was better when wet besides those gnarly winds dried my socks out good.

 

[liong71er]

You guys that stayed home eating Oreos because of the forecast should just smack yourselves in the head with your bike shoes. It was a perfect day.

I left my house at 5:30 and picked up the Crazy Asian in Flemington at 7. He took the train out to Raritan on Saturday and rode until it got dark. He took the first lodging he could find near Flemmington... The Traveler Inn flea bag motel. Sad for him he didn't realize the Hampton Inn was 1/2 mile down the road.😛

We registered and were gearing up as the mighty orange and blue rolled out of the lot in a slight drizzle. Liong chose to ride his single speed Intense Spider when I had a perfectly good, refurbished 35lb Raleigh road bike for him to borrow. Go figure.

A few miles into the ride, I followed an arrow that signaled right at a three way fork. I took the rightest right and about three miles later while descending a very, very steep road along a gorge, I came upon a rider who was waking his bike up the hill grumbling that the bridge was out and we missed the turn. Damn! I caught up with Liong, Dnap and Chainsaw at the second rest stop. Liong says my extra miles were bad Karma payment for dropping him, I say they were good Karma payment for the drizzle stopping before 9am and not returning until the last few miles.

Overall, the(real)63 mile route was chock full of climbing. Nothing impossible, but like a constant toothache, enough to wear you down. Weather was surprisingly good, overcast and cool and most of all dry except for a brief drizzle that evaporated as soon as it fell.

I'm glad I did it and glad Liong wasn't scared away(like some other friends of mine🙄) by the prospect of rain, or I probably would not have made the trip. Excellent work by all the mtbnj.com riders!

i'm the crazy asian guy.
why can somebody got lost?with the very bright colour sign they put on pavement at every intersection/turn it still amazed me!!heehehe (sorry,..i must laughing)


however,thank you sandie for everything and you'ved save my day!


files
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/16634717

pics
i have 5 diferent photo's of this awesome covered bridges.